To think DC's nursery are twee and slightly rude?

[beahunnywashyourtummy]

There's a new (laminated) sign up at the door saying

When you come to greet me
Please don't cheat me
Smile and say how was your day
Laugh and giggle and spread some smiggle
I missed you today
Don't go away
Away on your phone far away
Instead just greet me
Don't try to cheat me
Let's go home and have some fun!

I wasn't aware of it (I've been off with DS), but someone's posted it into the WhatsApp group. It's clearly stuck on the door outside the nursery.

Obviously it's a message to get more parents to be 'present' at pick up time which is very valid and true, but, AIBU to vomit at how twee and ridiculous it is?

What on earth is a smiggle?! Isn't that an overpriced shop for stationary? In which case, no, I won't be sharing any smiggle

It’s irritating me because it doesn’t even rhyme properly.

Especially the last line. There’s no other words in there that rhyme with fun, so that bit irritates me the most.

...and I'm just over here imagining the conversation in the staffroom -

Staff 1: Linda. Linda! Quick! Give me a word that rhymes with 'giggle'

Staff 2: (despondently) I don't bloody know! Errr.....Smiggle?

Staff 1: Brilliant! Thanks!

Crap poem

No humour
Bad spelling

Poor kids and parents being abused by this.

I wonder if the nursery next to my office has the same sign up for their staff. I often see them out for a walk with the buggies and on their phones.

Depressing that so many schools, nurseries and swimming pools have to ask parents to put down their damn phones!

Gosh they would love me then, picking them up from nursery to go to my second job! How very "present" of me. Guess the bills will have to pay themselves!

I think it's a cute way of telling parents to put their phones away. It makes me so sad when parents pick their children up and they're on the phone. I was always tempted to put something on our classroom door but would have too much backlash!

Haven’t rtft but just adding that it’s an awful poem and smiggle the shop is named so combing the the words smile and giggle!!

Why do "sentiments " have to be expressed in (shit) rhymes,(shit) poems , making memories bullshit instamummy martyr style?

"Phone free zone" , mention safeguarding whatever. Can't people(especially people that are supposed to be professional) get their point across anymore without smiggles, guilt rainbows and shit?

The sentiment of giving the child a little attention at pick up is fair. The poem, however, is an absolute load of patronising, childish nonsense and condescending beyond belief.

Just put a sign up saying “no mobile phones, please”. That poem is so bad, even the Sunday Post wouldn’t publish it. Patronising too.

This thread is do sad
It makes me feel bad
From your phone pull the plug
And give me a chug!

(See what I did there?😎)

A more serious concern is that speech and language development is delayed in a lot of children in comparison to a few years ago. The use of mobiles which take away adult attention is being considered as one of the causes. There is a bit of a drive to remind adults that children need adults to give them full attention while they are talking to them. While not deliberately done it does have a knock on effect among other factors.

YANBU. Its bloody carnage at pick up time at ds' preschool, I'm surprised anyone has any time to notice what anyone else is doing other than ensuring the kids are leaving with the right adult.

That type of thing makes me a little bit sick In my mouth. So twee it hurts!

YABU Great intention, awful execution. The poem is really not good. However, this is not about the nursery being mobile phone free (parents should know this is standard, Vanessa George ring any bells?). This is about the setting reminding parents to be available to their children at pick up not on their phones. Parental attention after a long session/day at nursery is really important to young children, it supports the long term development of their emotional health and some parents are increasingly giving their children the message that what they are doing on their phones is more important. Early years settings are expected to continuously improve and one expectation is that they work with parents to support long term good outcomes for children, hence this dreadful poem. Continous improvement is expected by Ofsted, local authority advisors, network support officers, etc, etc. So instead of criticising this nursery, sit back, relax and enjoy Bake Off, Strictly, X Factor/BGT in the knowledge that up and down the country, having already educated and cared for your children in the week, there are Early Years staff working away in the evenings and weekends, at their laptops, for no extra pay, doing their best for your children, but also to keep their jobs. Early Years staff are leaving the industry by the horde, partly because of economics, but also because of the negativity from parents. If this doesn't improve, there won't be enough available childcare.

Reply from the child (laminated, of course)

Oh god, here's comes my mum
Asking how my day has been,
Did I play with lovely toys...?
Hush! I'm looking at my screen.

Now we're home; have to hug.
Just fill my sippy cup!
Make with the snack, mum,
And fire the telly up.

Most days I love to chatter
And bring you up to speed
But today we did "rhymes"
And some peace is what I need.

I feel "sicky" in my "tumbly"
(The tweeness was absurd),
'Cause they can't even scan
And "smiggle's" not a word.

@LaMarschallin

Yes the poem is crap but you're missing the point: they're asking you to do something you might not be happy about without trying to offend anyone.

This poem falls into the category of: you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

If they had put a sign up stating phone free zone someone would have photographed that and shared it on here asking: who do they think they are dictating to us in such a short fashion, I need my phone due to XYZ.

And anyway, they're right. You're child hasn't seen you all day so put your damn phone away... and that's aimed at one and all.

If parents are so obsessed and enthralled by their phones how are they even going to see the sign,much less waste the time to read it?

There’s a similar thread on swimming lessons and phones. Essentially a similarly twee expression of a sentiment essentially saying get the fuck off your phones, you zombies/ self important people, and engage with your child

Made me as did the swimming pool one, patronising crap

The sentiment is fine, the wording is naff and awful. Are there many nurseries where parents are permitted to have phones out at pick up and drop off? Ours is a mobile free zone, I thought that was standard.

Yes the poem is crap but you're missing the point

If that particular bit was aimed at me, I wholly agree with the sentiment of the notice.
I loathe seeing people staring at phones and ignoring children.

However the "poem" was atrocious and I can see it would put backs up.
The nursery should be a mobile-free zone. Just politely state so.

Sadly, there's nothing to stop parents getting them out again immediately once they're over the threshold.

You're child hasn't seen you all day so put your damn phone away... and that's aimed at one and all.
Ah well - I know that's cannot be aimed at me. I don't count as "one and all".
My daughters are in their early 20s and far more likely to be looking at their own phones, ignoring me, rather than vice versa.

But, as so often on MN, some posters have to put their views forward in an aggressive manner rather than in a reasonable fashion (possibly even with an - albeit failed? Oh dear... - attempt at humour).

LaMarschallin There is something to stop parents getting their phones out once in the setting. It's a mobile phone free policy which the managers can politely but firmly remind parents of. An interesting coincidence that this topic has arisen around the time Vanessa George is about to be released....