Are adults who give babies tablets showing American cartoons at full volume in medical waiting rooms the lowest form of life? (Serious, not in any way light-hearted)

[CurdinHenry]

Aaaaaaaaaa

Don't parents know how to parent and teach their child good behaviour? Of course, no kid is perfectly behaved all of the time but that's part of life and most people will understand if the kid or parent is having a bad day.

I loved seeing a 3-year-old little girl with no tablet in the waiting room recently. She walked around, sat on different chairs, brought different books over to her mum and smiled at strangers. She was interacting with the world.

OTOH, I recently saw a boy of around 2 in his pushchair, absolutely glued to the phone attached to his buggy. He was almost zombie like with no idea about what was going on around him and no interaction with his parent or older sibling.

It’s a pet peeve of mine. We once had 4 hours of peppa pig on loop during a flight to Turkey. No attempt to tell the child to turn it down as the parents were either side, fast asleep. More recently, my daughter is currently very unwell and has had multiple hospital admissions. She hates going in due to the noise from other people’s tablets/phones. Last time we had a teen next to us watching Matilda whilst her mum was trying to talk to her (loudly) over it. I had to ask the nurse to tell them to turn it down, which they did, only for it to go back on half an hour later. And it completely puts me off “family friendly” restaurants. I’ve asked to move a few times due to being seated next to families who have their tablets blaring.

It is 8pm on a Friday night so I'd expect OP is likely in A&E. I certainly wouldn't want my DC interacting with the characters in my local city's A&E on a Friday night, I'd prefer them distracted in some way. Yes the tablet should be quiet but I can't imagine starting a thread about parents in a tricky, likely unplanned situation. I think that is pretty low. Edited as I now realise OP started the thread earlier but there are plenty of other things to judge than parents and children in medical settings IMO.

She didn’t post at 8pm

Have you quoted the wrong post? I've not said anything about controlling a child? I have implied that ignoring a child then loudly telling them off and/or shoving a loud tablet under their nose is inconsiderate to other people in the waiting room though.

My solution would be to bring some quiet toys (for my child that would be a handful of toy cars) or some books or something and then spend time actually engaging with your child - talking to them, responding to them, and giving them positive attention. That way, they actually learn what appropriate behaviour in that environment looks like. Quiet interaction isn't stopping then from being their own person.

Do you seriously think seriously ill people should have to listen to children's TV in A&E?

And do you seriously think the only two options are tablet or talking to strangers?

I don't know which is more alarming.

Where did I suggest that I thought either in my post?

The hospital staff should insist that the volume is muted, or the family leaves. 2 options, let them choose.

I don't think you're incredibly stupid so you're being deliberately obtuse. Why?

Hospital waiting rooms and wards are a nightmare. I don't normally advocate for screens but when a child is poorly then yes I would be offering a tablet, anything to distract him from wanting to run around in a confined space. I would have it on silent or with headphones though. Not sure if I would offer it to a baby either. We didn't have a tablet until my youngest was about 5 so I don't know what I would have done if that option had been available then.

Do you seriously think seriously ill people should have to listen to children's TV in A&E?
From my post 'Yes the tablet should be quiet'.

And do you seriously think the only two options are tablet or talking to strangers?
From my post 'I'd prefer them distracted in some way.'

Books!

oh my god you dangerous radical!

It's lazy parenting rather than interacting with your child, but I can totally understand making an exception for long waits like A&E or on a long flight. In those circumstances though, everyone is in a stressful and trying situation, so you're still awful if you have the volume on or don't give them ear phones to listen with.

Parents who let their kids run around are lazy too though. Yes, it's hard work to keep your child entertained in a way that doesn't annoy others when waiting for appointments or other things. That's parenting though. Read books, help them draw or colour, walk around with them looking at posters on the wall and talk about things. When you need a break, then give them a quiet screen for a bit sure, we have that now, but don't inflict it on everyone else.

I work in a hospital and come across this a lot. But it's actually one step up from the bottom. I detest the parents who drag their kids, glued to a screen, through the corridors. These poor DC have no awareness of their surroundings. People have to swerve to avoid full on collision and sadly one of these kids crashed into a vending machine ending up with a cut to their head and a broken phone. The sad thing was that mum was more worried about the phone than the injured child.
What are we teaching our children?

Jeez I hope this is supposed to be a joke.

You know that your entire job as a parent is to be in control? Certainly with young children anyway.

If you think that control (or let’s just call it ‘parenting’) is some magical abstract thing then I suggest you get advice. Your children need you to have it.

Was in urgent care for 4 hours the other day.
Wtf!

Would it make a difference if they were watching loud Australian or Canadian cartoons?

@BeardySchnauzergiven these parents are all sitting in the drs waiting room, I’d hazard a guess that at least some of them may be feeling fairly ill.

one of the hardest things about being a parent is the fact you don’t get “sick days”! So for all we know the parents OP is referring too could be an amazing parent 99% of the time but while they are unwell enough to attend their GP with a choke in tow, I’d hazard a guess that they may not not ok their A game at that precise moment in time!

Yeah, i agree. They're lazy, inconsiderate, mouth-breathing morons.

I don't mind the sounds of a child playing, or doing normal kid things. But overly loud kids making a racket, and the parent/s don't even once try to calm them down or tell them to be quiet are worse than satan. It is not a solution to just plonk your poorly brought-up monster in front of a blaring tablet.

I'd normally agree. But we just spent 4 days in hospital with my 2 year old with acute croup. He only spent one night on the observation ward, which obviously, we slept, but if they have to stay still because of an IV or whatnot and you have already spent 2 hours reading, playing, drawing. How how else can you keep your 2 year old still? I will say when other kids came, I turned the volume off, and he didn't seen to mind.

In Victorian times people looking after children tried to just get through their day by drugging children with opium. Parents can't just do any old thing for the sake of a quiet life.

Obviously it’s not ideal to listen to someone else’s kids’ iPad. But it also wouldn’t be ideal to listen to someone else’s child screaming their head off, which may have been the alternative and which the parent here was possibly trying to avoid. M
I’d suggest being so enraged by this that you label The parent as being ‘the lowest form of life’ is a problem that you might need to address yourself.

Absolutely the fucking worst, I had it at the dentist the other day, I have audhd as an adult,means I'm already stressed to fuck. The kid was perfectly ok and mother gives it the phone in a quiet waiting room ,stupid stupid fucking twat.had to weigh up having confrontation or putting up with it,but these people are not usually to be reasoned with, I couldn't put my own headphones on because because I needed to listen for my name being called, murder was nearly commited. I long for the day when the internet implodes ,it's ruined the world, yesterday I read 1 in 7 surfs the net whilst driving eh ?!?! Wtf.

Oh what a load of crap. Grow a pair and parent your child.

If your child can't sit in a waiting room for 10 minutes without needing to watch a tablet lest they behave like little turds, that is on the parent.

Children can't be controlled! Whatever next.