to think if you want to work in silence, don't go to a coffee shop

[whimsicalname]

I was in a chain coffee shop this morning, across the road from our city museum, waiting with my 2 year old for it to open.

I was drinking my coffee, he sat opposite me eating raisins. Other people were working, or chatting, or reading the paper. You know, doing normal coffee shop stuff.

After a while, the boy gets up to wander around. He's not running, he's not sticky, he's just mingling. He walked towards a man with a laptop. Stood nearby him, and then said hello. Man looked up at me, and said 'do you mind, I'm concentrating here' in a really unpleasant way.

If I'd been with a couple of friends chatting we'd have made a lot more noise but I can't help but feel he probably wouldn't have told us off!

We were across the road from the university library (which has some open access areas) and all of 200m away from the city central library, so plenty of options for quiet. Blimey, he could even have sat in the cathedral for some quiet contemplation.

AIBU or was he?

Pictish, I mentioned Village of the Damned, but got told off

I would live on MissFaversams island

There's a time and a place for wandering. A coffee shop is not one of them.

yep strap em in
shuve a donut in gob to keep em quiet

I thought so. What you are saying is 'be friendly to my DC on my terms' - look indulgently, say hello but don't touch'. In countries where they are child friendly they touch and interact. I am quite happy to be friendly with a toddler - but on my terms. I object to the mother letting them wander and expecting to control the situation. If she wants control keep the DC in their seat.

Or you could, I dunno, teach it to sit in a chair?

You know, like other people do with their children?

And 5.9 billion other people

Echt I said invading, if you had I would have used quotation marks. You mentioned about not having a concept of privacy in public.

Pictish that made me even though I am in support of OP.

On the other island - most People just aren't as bothered by other people's kids as many here seem to be.

I am the guy from the coffee shop.
600 posts.
Fuck.

Yes please, I want an island that has adults who interact with children in coffee shops during the day. Children are no longer confined to buggies. All adults interact and smile at them. Computers will be banned during the day so no one HAS to watch a screen and swat away.

I was on mumsnet

see this poor bloke has been kept up half the night by his toddler -he just wants to play/dowhat ever on the pc in a coffee shop and some random toddler comes up and says "hello"

he want to concentrate on his whatever

people don't always want top be interupted for whatever reason

I am community minded but I like it in Spain where people are quite likely to touch.

I don't lose it either - and neither did coffee shop guy - he just said what I would be thinking which is, essentially, piss off!

dont expect starngers to be enthralled by your wean
in coffee shop and everywhere else

Waffles too.Horrid things.

No computers on the step ford island missf. We'll take all the computers on our other island aka the rest of the world.

that goes for phones as well by the way. Phones are banned until the children are safely tucked up in bed after having such a wonderful day interacting with adults that are communicative. Adults that give out the right signals for children. What a wonderful world that would be.

But you wouldnt verbalise it Pictish, because that'd be rude.

The Toddler and I would be perfectly happy - I am very good at amusing them. The toddler wouldn't have a problem but the mother would.

Oh and I totally let strange old ladies slobber on my babies and all that - I'm not some sort of community hating weirdo - I just don't particularly enjoy the guff that OPC sprout...especially when I'm sans kiddy myself!