This woman said she supported her older daughter by attending her performance, but questions were raised about whether attending with her baby was a good idea.
A Split Family
The Original Poster (OP) has two children with her ex-husband, a daughter named Penelope, 12 years old, and a son named Johnny, ten years old.
A few years after the divorce, OP married a man named Chris, and they have a 6-month-old daughter named Lyla.
Penelope and Johnny live primarily with their father, as he is closer to their school, but they visit OP and Chris on weekends.
A Theatre Performance
Penelope is part of the theater program at her school, which had a spring show that opened last week. OP brought Chris and Lyla to the show while Will, the ex-husband, Johnny, and Will’s wife, Ariana, were already there.
When Will saw Lyla, he gave OP a strange look, but Ariana calmed him down.
During the first half of the play, Lyla slept, but she woke up fussy a little before intermission. OP tried to calm Lyla while also watching the play, but received dirty looks from parents around her.
No Place for a Baby
Will suggested Chris take Lyla home during intermission, but OP thought Lyla would sleep during the second half, and Chris wanted to watch the performance.
Will became upset, but Ariana managed to calm him down again.
Lyla fell asleep again, although she woke up halfway through Act II and started screaming, throwing the performers off.
OP quickly went into the lobby with Lyla, but the usher wouldn’t let her back in because of the rule that they are not allowed back in once a person leaves to prevent interruptions.
She Couldn’t Get Back In
This caused her to miss Penelope’s solo.
After the show, Penelope refused to see OP or accept the flowers she bought for her.
Will met OP in the parking lot and was angry, saying she should never have brought Lyla and pointed out that he and Ariana got a sitter for their young child.
OP said she didn’t want to leave Lyla and felt it was good for everyone to support her. Will gave her a disgusted look and walked away.
Penelope has not answered her calls or texts and refused to come over for the weekend. Chris thinks they were in the right, but OP’s parents are also angry and have called her insensitive.
Redditors Were Not Happy
Morgaine125 said, “You sent a loud and clear message that your new family with Chris is more important than your older children.”
Another wrote, “Performances like that are so important to young girls. I don’t know why Chris couldn’t take her Lyla home, since this is your daughter’s solo.”
Heartbrekker exclaimed, “First, Lyla is a baby and can’t support anyone. You, however, are Penelope’s mother and should do whatever you can to appropriately support her, such as having the foresight to get a babysitter, or having your husband take charge of the screaming baby.”
What do you think? Was this a classic case of a mom doing the best she could and her best not being good enough, or was she being insensitive and negligent?
The post She Wanted to Support Her Daughter’s Theatre Performance, but Was Bringing a Screaming Baby the Right Way to Do It? first appeared on Wealthy Living
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / El Nariz. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit