The Library Mothers

(Image from here)

So every week I take the girls to the Library for storytime. 

When I say storytime it is a mixed media interactive song and dance music session with some stories sprinkled in.

The first time we get there I see all the other children are quite a bit younger then the girls I'm looking after.  So the Angelbaby sits there quietly next to me, watching the others and joining in when I encourage her.  The Wilfull Child will not sit still, will not participate and runs madly around the room.  I have no problem with this as she is not being disruptive to the group so I let her and focus on the other child.  

Everything is going well untill the Willfull child decides to start taking things off one of the babies.  The mother is letting her, but as I am trying to teach her to share and not to snatch off other children, I go over to her and ask her to give it back.  She looks at me and shakes her head so I 'help' her to return it to the smaller child.  Naturally she is less then impressed with me so she heads over to the shelf and begins to throw books off the shelf narrowly missing childrens heads.  

Again I need to intervene so I ask her to stop.  She looks me in the eyes and does it again and smiles.  Because she may hurt others I then put the books back, tell her what I am about to do ("It is not safe to throw books.  You could hurt the other children.  Now I am going to put these books back we are going to go back to where Angelbaby is sitting") and pick her up to go back to the spot where Angelbaby is waiting.  She kicks and screams, again fine with me I don't care, but I'm starting to get some sideways looks from the other mothers.  

I put her down on the ground and she goes into full blown tantrum mode kicking her legs and screaming.  The Librarian continues the song but after less then 3 seconds of this she bangs the back of her head into the ground with a resounding thud.  

Everything stops.

The mothers gasp and the singing comes to a halt.  All eyes are now on her and as she sees this, she gets louder.  I of course am ignoring her so not to encourage this bahaviour.  Then the looks really begin.  I can feel the thoughts of these mothers reinging down on me

"What a bad nanny!"

"How could she let that child hurt herself?"

"What is wrong with her she is ignoring that child?"

But after a few seconds she stops, sits up, looks at me and grabs a book from the floor.  The storm is over and not only is she uninjured (the noise was worse then the injury) she is happy again and knows what I expect from her. 

Did I deserve this judgement from the moms with kids barely mobile?  I stand by what I did and would do it again.  Even at storytime with these same mothers.  What I want to do is say "Well since you have all stopped what you are doing to stare at this child, let me take a moment to tell you my philosphy about raising children", but I won't.

I will just keep on doin what I'm doin secure that my two kids will probably grow up to be better people then theirs.  Thats right I said it!