Have you heard of these?
AMC Theaters have beautifully dedicated a 10 am showing of new family releases to those who may have a bit more trouble sitting still or being quiet during a typical showing.
There are no previews to sit through; you go straight to the good stuff.
You can bring your own snacks for those on specific diets.
The house lights are up a bit and the sound is turned slightly down for those with sensory issues.
But best of all, the theater is full of families like my own and we respectfully don't 'shh!' when someone has the urge to yell out. We don't give them the evil eye when one child has a full blown tantrum in her father's arms. And we tell the Mom whose had to scoot past us four times to not apologize for having to chase down her little guy again.
Going to the movies has always been one of the preferred outings for our family...one of the few that we always felt sure M would tolerate. About six months ago, something changed and M is no longer able to sit quietly in a theater, no matter how much of his beloved popcorn we have on hand for him.
The other half is out of town this weekend and when that happens, I am truly at a loss as to what activities I can handle with both kids by myself. I had heard about these sensory films but never attended one since the nearest theater is about 30 miles away.
I decided to suck it up and make the trek to the theater, hoping the effort would not be wasted. It wasn't! M had a few 'moments,' but even those seemed to be lessened. A sensory-friendly setting and a less worried Mama were the winning combination that allowed us to successfully enjoy the entire 'Shrek Forever' movie without the help of the other half, and without having to leave early. Hurray for Sensory Friendly Films and hurray for AMC Theaters!
*Note to self: When you do have success like we did this morning, try not to push it by taking the kids shopping afterward.
One trip to AMC Theaters = success.
One trip to World Market afterward = colossal failure. Point noted.
5 comments:
What a brilliant idea. Glad it was a success. Yeah for AMC and Mama Deb!
Good for you guys! Thanks for passing the AMC info. along as well!
So glad to hear it worked out ( well, the movie part, anyway). =)
We go to these most months. I did choose pass on watching "The Rock" in the Tooth Fairy.
Such fun!!!
I love that!!! Sensory friendly!!!
So funny when you build that success momentum you always want to try and think you can keep it going (e.g. shopping afterward) and then...colossal failure. Kudos for trying though! I would have done the same!
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