When I took my daughter to the movies for the first time, running was the last thing I thought she’d ever do. But, that’s exactly what she did. I didn’t tell her where we were going or what we’d be doing. She loves surprises, and that’s exactly what I told her – “It’s a surprise!”
Everyone’s been talking about the Disney movie, Frozen. I thought it would be a great thing for us to see together – sort of like a mommy daughter date.
“What is this place?” she asked.
“You’ll see,” I responded.
As soon as we paid for the tickets, bought some snacks, and walked into the theatre, she immediately bounced.
“I’m scared,” she yelled upon stepping into the big dark room. She appeared surprised by the huge screen and the loud noise coming from it.
I ran after her and told her it would be ok, and that I was there to protect her. She held my hand and walked in for a second time. I could tell by the way she tried to wiggle her fingers away that she was still a bit reluctant. Again, I told her that everything was gonna be alright.
This time she walked in with confidence. I showed her to our seats, and it was smooth sailing from there.
As you can tell by the first few photos, she had a great time. But her laughter turned to disappointment because she didn’t win a prize from one of those game machines at the concession stand.
Aww, that’s so sweet! I can’t wait to take6 my little girl to her first movie. She turns 2 on Friday, so it’ll be at least a year before I try it. Thanks for the insight on how to handle it when I do 🙂
I’m glad it turned out fine. 🙂 Looks like she had a lot of fun.
Other mommies getting ready to venture to the movies for the first time, I’d suggest talking about the experience of going to the movies with children BEFORE doing it for the first time. Talk about what a movie theater is, talk about being quiet at the movie theater, and read a book like “Maisy goes to the Movies”. Remember that kids see the world in terms of affordances, (ie: a movie theatre might look like a giant playground for running around in or a dark scary oversized living room). The more prepared a kid is for a new experience the better- no need to cause unnecessary anxiety.