To think waiting rooms are not playgrounds

[FairfaxAikman]

Feeling like utter crap today and functioning on very little sleep as a result I hauled myself to a GP appointment this morning.
In the waiting room was a toddler who was LOUD!
They were running around the whole of the large waiting room pushing a large digger and shouting and squealing at the top of their voice.

I'm all for kids playing and enjoying themselves, but AIBU to think a Doctors waiting room, which is full of sick people, is not the time or place for it?

Maybe these outside doctors surgeries would be a good idea www.dadswhodiaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Kid-Cage.jpg

Jux that sounds perfect! I wish our surgery had a waiting room like that.
In our old one they had a children's corner, with little lego tables and those beads you move along bendy wires. Here it's just a box of toys, the room is tiny.

It's a 'pick your battles' situation. I stop mine bumping into people, throwing leaflets into the air and climbing on furniture but running around is harmless. I don't expect her to talk in a hushed voice either. It's a balance between minimising disturbance to others and avoiding a screaming tantrum.

What really irritates me is when she tries to chat to other patients and they pretend they can't even see her. She says 'hello' or 'it raining outside' or 'this my mummy'. While most people are lovely and smile and nod, or even have a little chat, others blank her and glare at me! So unkind and rude. She then gets louder because she thinks they can't hear eg 'mummy what wrong with that man? He not say hello! Why he not talk me?'
Some people seem to view toddlers as nuisances rather than people

It’s not just in the doctors either. In my gym changing room last week two toddlers were running riot. They picked up the ‘caution, wet floor’ cones that the cleaner had put in the toilet area and ran around with them on their heads. I just wonder where the liability would rest if somebody had slipped and fallen on the newly washed floor? This was followed by pushing each other into the lockers and slamming the doors on each other (broken fingers anyone?).All of this accompanied by the usual piercing screaming. I always change in the ‘child free’ area of the changing room because I’ve had a mastectomy and other cancer surgery and my scars are not a pretty sight. Lo and behold, one of these children suddenly appeared in front of me staring at me while I dressed and sticking his tongue out at me. What was mum doing? Sitting calmly gossiping with her friend completely oblivious to what her children were doing. Do I hate children? Absolutely not. Do I blame the children for this behaviour? Again, no way. I DO, however remain appalled at how frequently young mothers permit their children to run wild in this way and god help us if we dare to speak a word of criticism.

"What really irritates me is when she tries to chat to other patients and they pretend they can't even see her."

Some people don't like toddlers bothering them. My son finds it distressing and it may cause a meltdown. Toddler noise is unavoidable but please don't them bother other people.

I agree. I was in the doctor’s waiting room with a 40 degree temperature, thinking I was going to die the other week. There were two little brats who just wouldn’t shut up yelling and running around and their mother did nothing. I was almost in tears as I felt so ill and the noise was making it worse.

"Parents who are too lazy or incompetent to discipline their offspring will always of course attempt to blame medical reasons."

Comments like this make me realise how lucky my disabled son is to have me as his parent.

No they’re not playgrounds- but at my old doctors whenever I took my toddler we’d end up being kept waiting anywhere from 20 mins to an hour after our appointment time and it’s very bloody hard to keep them amused for that length of time in a small room full of sick people.

some children are a handful, I have one that will sit quietly reading or something similar the other one I can't keep him distracted. I'm afraid to say my child probably does annoy people in waiting rooms despite my best efforts. I often don't go to the doctors when I need to as I hate being judged like this. I have an appointment that is going be 2 weeks later than my gp wants purely because of the day they wanted me back in falls on the easter holidays and I don't want to be judged. Trust me I'm sure she didn't want to be there with her child and was secretly feeling very uncomfortable.

Ahem, peace and love please. We've removed a few personal attacks, so can we remind everyone of our Talk Guidelines?

Thanks all

YABVVU and a bit daft. It's a waiting room not a library.

It is not optional to have to wait there with a child, neither is there an expectation of silence.

Yes excess noise is annoying but get a grip

IMO, its important to remember that all of us were babies, toddlers, and children; and undoubtedly we annoyed adults with our crying, demands, running around, etc as was normal for our age at the time - therefore all adults need to exercise tolerance for today's toddlers.

As Mumsnet is a forum for parents (there is a clue in the name), what mother has not at some time been too ill to be on top of their parenting game? Let she who is without sin cast the first stone?

Speaking personally, as the parent of a child with a severe, life threatening condition; we have frequently had to deal with devastating news from health professionals (like their prognosis) - crying babies or toddlers have never bothered us! What bothers us far more for instance, is people, who waste doctors' time because they want a magic pill for colds and self limiting viruses for which there is no known cure; and requests for prescriptions of calpol, etc because they don't want to have to pay for it over the counter in the pharmacy.

It must be a bit lonely up on that rather high horse minniebirdie. I have family like this, constantly berating the world for not living up to their own image of how well their own kids behaved thanks to their impeccable parenting. It's such a miserable, self-righteous way of looking at the world. I always wonder what life does to make some people so warm-hearted, kind and generous, ready to believe the best of people, and others so ready to put the boot in at any opportunity...

On the whole, most parents do their best in sometimes trying situations. If they don't, its safe to say that they are probably having a really bad day.

I know, it’s like you feel like crap, just want some peace and quite and the parent/s are either letting their kids run feral or you get loud performance parenting : Look at meeeeee, look at my kid! Lol

I don't think the parents are trying to 'performance parent', @Purplelife they're probably just incredibly stressed and trying to avoid a tantrum. What do you expect parents to do when they need to get to see the doctor themselves and have no one to leave their toddler with?

Some compassion wouldn't go amissz

Oh dear, that was supposed to say amiss.

There are a lot of parents that don’t performance parent and NEED that attention and energy from unwell patients. Somehow, with their high pitched chirpy voices, they sound anything but stressed. Lol

It's non 'lol' though is it purplelife. You're demonstrating perfectly how parents can't win. Engage with your child and you're performance parenting, ignore them and you're a lazy sod. Newsflash: it isn't all about you. Far from wishing to impress you with their parenting, the parent hasn't even noticed and cares even less about your presence, except to the extent that they can see you are going to tut and sneer whatever they do. Probably they are deeply stressed both about the reason they are there and having to handle a toddler in a confined, judgemental space for up to hours on end. What a deeply depressing thread this is.

I ignored a toddler who would not leave me alone in a Drs surgery, kept coming over to me demanding that I play with her and then running away in tears to her mother because I wouldn't give in to her demands. The mother then started making fairly loud comments to her daughter and the rest of the waiting room about how I was a nasty lady, how it was obvious I didn't have children and how I had a massive shock coming to me when I did.

I was at the doctors to discuss whether or not it was worth pursuing IVF following various tests on my frazzled and fucked reproductive system.

High pitched and chirpy with my toddler is EXACTLY how I sound when stressed out of my brain and trying not to explode.

Maybe she didn't have anyone to look after the toddler? As a mum to a toddler and also a nurse in a busy department I can tell you hand on on heart this mum would not have wanted to be in this situation.
Maybe you would prefer it if she tied said toddler up outside like a dog instead?
If you are that ill and tired maybe you should be taking a nap instead of slagging mum's off on the internet??

I never ran about when I was a toddler because there were home visits. I coped when I had to take mine with sweets etc so hardly healthy. I feel only sympathy for other mums with sick children

As they were playing and not kicking chairs, I think you ABU. Certainly seen some badly behaved ones. I think I prefer a digger to the kids who were watching Peppa Pig on their Mum's phone at full volume.