Ode to Crotchety Old Library Man

I guess it must have made you feel good to calmly walk across the carpeted floor of the library, lean down so your face was an inch away from my two year old sons, bring your finger up to your lips and "shhhh" my child as he was crying in his stroller.

I guess it must have made you feel really good to know that while he was in his stroller fussing because he was most likely tired from being carted around all morning by a mom who has no other choice but to run errands with her kids, that he had no idea what you were trying to communicate to him with your old, wrinkly, faded yellow nail, finger.

I guess you feel that a COMMUNITY library is only open to the meek and quiet, unobtrusive children that don't ever fuss or make any kind of noise whatsoever. Apparently the COMMUNITY library is not really a community at all in your mind.

I guess you must have felt some sort of obligation to turn around as you were walking away from my son and put your finger up to your mouth and "shhhh," him again in front of the 25 other people that were researching, reading and talking. All the while this mom was trying to locate a relevant book for my other job, in between loads of laundry, meal time, nap time and diaper changes ,while simultaneously wheeling twins in a stroller and explaining to my five year old that we can look at the DVD section in "just a few minutes."

I guess it must have made you feel really great to have my son start wailing because a strange man walked up to him and wagged his finger in his face, thus accomplishing your goal of having 20 heads turn in my direction as I got up, fighting back tears and left the library with my three kids in tow and my five year old asking, why are we leaving mommy? in a five year old level of voice that has no regard for how loud he is in the midst of a crowd.

And I bet you must have felt AWESOME knowing that you made your life a little easier because now you didn't have to listen to a two year old fuss in a stroller. But instead this mom had to walk out with a now wailing child, as heads turned with each roll of the wheels as we exited out the door, humiliated and so angry that the only option I had was to leave, as I stared down at the blue faded handles of my double wide, garage sale stroller.

But best of all, I'm glad that you now have your peace and quiet as I buckle my kids into the car, with one twin screaming and the other close to wailing and my five year old repeatedly asking me "mommy, why are you crying?" because I can barely see the buckles of the car seat and I am counting the seconds until I can close all the doors and windows and really start sobbing.

So, Crotchety Old Library Man, I have news for you. The library of today is not the library of 30 years ago, where children weren't welcome and silence was golden. The library is called a COMMUNITY library for a reason. So the sooner you stop waving your finger in unassuming children's faces so you can stop releasing into your Depends and finish your Anne Landers advice column the better. Because the last time I checked, I paid my taxes that support our public library and on a side note will cover your butt if it happens to fall over in front of said library and you break a hip that your medicare/medicaid won't cover.