So with several phone calls going back and forth the plan was the family would get there early and get the tickets for us, scope out seats, and make sure we have an aisle seat near the exit.  Then they would spread out to save the seats for us.  My mom would wait in the lobby for us with our tickets, we would pull up to unload the kids while Marwan parks, and we would whisk Aidan in right before the movie starts so he doesn't have to try to sit for 1/2 an hour with no movie on the big screen - we knew that his attention span would just not make it through the waiting.  Little did we know that his attention span is actually much, much, much shorter than that even......

We get there about 5 minutes before the previews.  We get seated and Aidan is looking around in awe.   I scope out the audience - not sold out, mostly families with small children.  PHEW!    Then William, Carolyn Ann, and Melinda all exclaim "Aidan is here!!!" and they all bounce out of their seats the row ahead of us to come up and coo and fuss over Aidan.   Aidan then realizes that there are other seats, other rows, and he can bounce from one to the other too!!!  This lasts through most the previews.

Then at the end of the previews, another family sits in the row before us, which then nixes the idea of Aidan hopping row to row - although he doesn't realize this.  And then he tries to climb through the seats to get to his cousin in the row in front of us, kicking his head in the process.  We keep trying to reign him back in.

Aidan also feels this is a fine time to say "Hi" to all the adult family members sitting in his row.  As much as we have tried to teach him what an inside voice or even a whisper is, he just doesn't quite get it.  And I have a cold and have no voice whatsoever.   (one could possibly speculate it is from shouting at him, but trust me, it is a cold.  But I am sure the shouting doesn't help!!)   The movie is starting.  He is going down the aisle shouting his hello's to those he knows.  

I try to get Aidan in my lap to cuddle and look at the screen.  That works for about 2-3 minutes.  Then he feels I am restraining him.  And like the theme of the movie - he just has to be FREE!!!!     He tries to run out the aisle.  Marwan stops him.  He shreiks.

All of a sudden the characters on the big screen break out in song.  Music?  Singing?  Know what this means to Aidan??  "DANCING!!"  he exclaims.  (note:  a two year old's form of dancing consists of jumping up and down, flailing arms, and closing his eyes in the process)   The aisles just weren't enough space to allow my eye-closing, jumping two year old to get his groove on.  But he feels the aisle is, with the steps and all.  So the slick little sucker gets past his Daddy to jump --- er dance --- in the aisles.  I watch with baited breath.   I am waiting for him to fall down the steps.   Marwan reigns him back in.  He shreiks and kicks and screams.

Marwan then takes  Aidan out of the theater for a few minutes, letting him play in the water fountains.  I take a deep sigh and look at Layla, who is content and sleeping, and watch a few minutes of the movie.

Then I hear "Mooooommmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyy" coming from the entrance way.  He's back.

He flings himself in my lap with his blankie, shoots Marwan a nasty look and clamors on me ready to cuddle.  That lasted about 2-3 minutes longer.  Then he looks around over my shoulder to see who he can recognize.  He starts looking out at the crowd, saying Hi to folks.

I try to have him focus on the movie.  He shreiks.  I am restraining him, and again, he has to be free!  (through a lot of this, the tune to "Born Free' is playing in the background which I found to be very fitting).  Aidan then realizes he can crawl down the aisle and I can't catch him.  Luckily my family takes up the entire left side of the row, down to the middle. So we let him crawl back and forth.

But then he gets sneaky.  My father is on the other end and actually wants to watch the movie!  (imagine that!!)  So he is zoning at the screen and Aidan would slip right past him, trying to crawl under other people's legs who are not with our group.  GASP!   And not only can I not yell because my throat is all raspy, I don't want to because people paid to actually see a movie and who knows how badly I am distracting them from doing that.   So I would have to flag my sister, who flags my mom, who elbows my father to grab Aidan.   I am ashamed to admit that this happened more than once.

Through this entire time, each family member is trying to entice Aidan to be quiet with candy and popcorn.  Each person is trying to get him to sit on their laps. It was almost like a game show - who can lure the two year old into submission???

Up until now, I kept telling myself "well, these folks have kids, they are paying to see a family movie at 1:30.  A matinee.  They should expect this."   But those mantras didn't really reassure me enough.  I had it.

I turned and looked at Marwan and said "He has to leave."  Marwan scoops him up to play in the arcade.  I was hoping they would leave the theather maybe.  Perhaps go to the playground at the mall next door.  But they didn't.  Five minutes later, Marwan and Aidan are back, poking their heads around the corner and Aidan grinning ear from ear waving and saying "Hi Mommy!!"  Oy vey.

Aidan crawls into my lap again for about 60 seconds.  Then he notices that the front 4-5 rows before the walkway are empty except for two toddlers who are running down the rows, and playing on the steps.  Free. 

He starts walking towards them.  Marwan tries to stop him and he points to the other kids.  I am watching with baited breath trying to send Marwan telepathic messages to "let him play.. just let him be free...."   Marwan looked at me expectantly.  I nodded his way, encouraging him to just do it.  

Aidan is free.  He starts running down the aisles, playing on the steps.  Quietly.   He and the other little toddler girl start playing tag.  Quietly.  They are smiling and happy.   I see these little baby heads bobbing down the rows as the run.  Free.   The movie is almost over and "born free" starts playing again in the background. I sit back, finally relax, and smile.  Yes, baby, you are free......

(5 minutes later, the movie ends)