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When I was a child I attended concerts when most children wanted to watch TV. Attending concerts and attending the theater are very similar. There are some rules of etiquette that children and the parents who bring them should observe.

Be quiet during a performance unless everyone around is applauding. Children may want to perform on stage in the future and must learn to respect the performers. Playing a piano or acting in a play is a job that pays a salary. Children who get used to being quiet in a theater are more likely to stay quiet in a classroom.

Sometimes there are times when people applaud too much. If, let's say, a child attends a play which features an actor who appered in a series of popular movies or on TV, clapping like a maniac, whistling, and stomping his feet on the floor when the actor appears on stage is bad etiquette. It brings attention to the child and disrupts the flow of the play. Maybe at a rock concert would such enthusiasm be welcomed.

One of the main reasons why parents bring their children to a theater performance or concert is to expose them to culture. TV and movies are different. You can be passive while watching them and at times talk with others because no one on the screen will be interfered with. The other members of the audience may complain about the noise. But at times, some audiences are expected to make noise.

People have talked back at the TV or movie screen. In a theater with live performers, this is disturbing. A child wouldn't want someone to talk to him while he is taking a test he needs to concentrate on. If children learn not to treat theater actors like movie and TV actors that can't hear them, they will be more silent while watching TV and movies. This will make it more enjoyable for others to watch both live and recorded performances.

The theater has a long history of being popular entertainment. George Washington used to attend the theater in Williamsburg, Virginia as often as he could. When he was attending the House of Burgesses, he would spend the evening being entertained in the theater. He may have gained a love for the theater when he was a child.

Living on a plantation as a child was different than living on a farm today. The nearest large city was Alexandria. It required some effort and time to travel there by carriage or horseback. So attending the theater would be a special occasion. Children would have to be on their best behavior or receive a switching when they returned home.

Today, children are more

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