To be pissed off at competitive reading at library today?

[MummyAnnabella]

at library with little one this morning reading as we do before rhyme time. Another mum sits close to me and starts reading poncy pretentious books o her little one very loudly and I felt she was trying to show me up for reading bob builder books to mine. They may not be the best books in the world but he loves them and I felt really judged:((

Hope I learn a language in time for when I have kids wouldn't want to be judged at the library.

Don't think the other thread can be you, OP. That poster's based in Wales according to her posting history but your posting history shows you to be in Ireland.

You sound as though you are doing a great job in developing a hopefully life long, love of books and reading. Don't let other parents put you off enjoying the library facilities, the other Mum could live in a really noisy household and always has to read loudly to be heard, or she could be like me, a female Brian Blessed, booming out the storyline .
You are doing a great thing for your little boy and supporting the library service at the same time, keep up the good work.

Is storytime only open for non middle class people nowadays?????

I always took DD when she was little. I much preferred it to playgroups, etc. and DD loved it too.

Given that the squeezed middle have jumped up and down about the Tory library threats more than anybody else I fail to see why we should be barred from entry of the very buildings many have fought to keep open.

I'm on the committee of a toddler music group and yes we're probably all m/c so should we all be excluded from the group we give up our free time to run,plan activities for,set up and clear up after?

Seriously Marriedinwhite? Really want to know why you think Story time at the library should not be attended by the middle class. Surely libraries are for everyone....

I took DS to the library for the first time the other day. He knocked over all the toys, ran into the adults section, refused to look at a single book and then screamed his head off because I wouldn't let him at the computers. What a fab parent I felt! I just stuck him back in the buggy and headed to the cafe for a coffee

Competitive parenting is really sad. It turns the children into objects of competition and puts the parents on edge. Just do your own thing. Your DS will love you for it, and he's the only one who counts.

That wasn't what I meant. What I meant was that everyone should go to the library and that it shouldn't be exlusive. What was wrong was that when my dc were small all the children and parents at story time were very middle class and there were very very rarely any families who were not middle class participating when within a 10-20 minute walk there are a number of huge local authority estates. That is what was wrong, not that middle class families should not have been there but there should also have been a representative spread of the local population there too.

The library service, especially here in Putney/Wandsworth needs to do much more outreach work to encourage those who feel excluded or who do not know how to access some of the fantastic things that are available, free, for all young children.

I loved the observation that the offending mum was probably insecure.

The OP was side by side with a DC that was reading a more advanced book than her DC and concluded that the other mom was point scoring. If certificates were being handed out for insecurity then a draw full should go to the OP and her supporters.

DS use to watch Dora the Explorer when he was five. He asked if he could learn Spanish properly so we put him into one of those learn Spanish through play clubs.

Anyway, we were in a library and DS picked up a Spanish book and started to read. The mum next to us gave DS the same look that the OP probably gave her 'poncy' neighbour.

I don't see why I should dumb down my DS in public libraries just in case his Bob the Builder neighbour has a complex about it.

MummyAnnabella Why on earth would anyone do that?!.
You will meet these people. If you are really upset by her behaviour, move away and carry on reading yo your LO. Don't let it spoil your time together,
Try not to worry what other stupid people say or do. Nothing wrong with Bob the Builder, but the library is a great place to introduce him to other more interesting books, hopefully you will fin something that both you and he can enjoy!
And above all don't stop coming to the library, it's use them or lose them.

YABU. Maybe she just enjoys reading books to her child and doesn't care whether the next person is at a higher or lower level?