Waiting room etiquette

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ped office - no one should expect silence.

Even if you were being the annoying parent it's a ped office, she should get over herself.

if she was having some kind of migraine - then she should have waited outside and told the receptionist; rescheduled or put the plugs in and communicated with her child differently

Yes! Who expects silence in a doctors office lobby? Especially a pediatrician.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ped office - no one should expect silence.

Even if you were being the annoying parent it's a ped office, she should get over herself.

if she was having some kind of migraine - then she should have waited outside and told the receptionist; rescheduled or put the plugs in and communicated with her child differently

Yes! Who expects silence in a doctors office lobby? Especially a pediatrician.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sound of a parent reading is way better than the sound of someone’s one-sided work call or someone watching loud video news in a foreign language that I don’t speak or understand.

But maybe just assume she had a migraine and was having a spectacularly sucky day. She was being passive aggressive and rude.

I don’t think reading a book is wrong unless you misperceived how loud you were or were being really performative- my two pet peeves that I’m stuck with in my family. My DH doesn’t know how to speak softly and his attempts to whisper are actually louder than his normal voice. And my SIL is a performative parent and it is tedious to be in her presence when she’s “on”. Maybe you accidentally did one of those?

I know exactly what you mean!! Maybe I was giving that vibe! I was reading kind of slowly and asking him questions between the pages. It was because was sitting nicely and he usually gets really whiny in these situations so I was trying to keep him captive.

This was what aggravate her. Read a story, fine. Hold a seminar in between every page turn? Bonkers annoying. I’m sure your questions had that granola parent sing-song voice. I know it because we did it too. But in doctors offices we always brought crayons and paper.

And? Parent your way. It’s ok to be at a kids level.

For some folks anyone even existing in their space is intolerable. Sounds like waiting roomie dislikes any noise. It’s a pediatricians office ffs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would ignore the type of person who carries earplugs on them.

This. And I sometimes carry ear plugs myself. It’s my problem.

[Anonymous]

She was rude. You're allowed to talk in a waiting room and reading a book wouldn't bother me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It wasn’t you. She was an ass.

Plus 1

+2

+3

The doctor’s office deliberately puts those books out there as a distraction for the kids - and they don’t expect preschoolers to be able to read silently to themselves. They know that a child reading quietly to a child is infinitely preferable to the child screaming and running around the waiting room, or even one whining “how much longer?” as they squirm and fidget, and the other parent knows it too. I think this is probably more a case where the other mom didn’t want to be bothered with her own child, and resented you showing her up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recently I was in a waiting room at a pediatric office (a specialist) with my son. It is a large waiting room with about 20 chairs. I had my 4 year old with me and he brought me a book from the book pile they have there. I started reading it to him quietly - not whispering, but definitely below normal speaking voice. The other parent in the waiting area immediately made a big sigh and a huge show of putting in ear plugs (not ear buds, actual ear plugs.) She also loudly told her child couple times “I can’t hear you, it’s too loud in here” while glaring at me. That’s odd, right? I feel like I know the answer to my own question and this was not a normal reaction, but she was so over the top that it made me question myself

You child was probably being annoying. I am not sure I trust your description of the waiting room. Would love to hear from the other people involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sound of a parent reading is way better than the sound of someone’s one-sided work call or someone watching loud video news in a foreign language that I don’t speak or understand.

But maybe just assume she had a migraine and was having a spectacularly sucky day. She was being passive aggressive and rude.

I don’t think reading a book is wrong unless you misperceived how loud you were or were being really performative- my two pet peeves that I’m stuck with in my family. My DH doesn’t know how to speak softly and his attempts to whisper are actually louder than his normal voice. And my SIL is a performative parent and it is tedious to be in her presence when she’s “on”. Maybe you accidentally did one of those?

I definitely understand the “tedious” parent thing when it’s someone you know in a social situation. A relative or a playgroup or whatever. I think we’ve all been around people like that. But a stranger in public who you don’t talk to or interact with? Who caaaares??? This lady was rude and weird.

This. Honestly doubt you deserved this kind of over the top reaction, OP. In situations like that I usually just chalk it up to either she is a loser or maybe, as some other PPs have mentioned, she's having a really bad day.

[Anonymous]

She sounds weird. I’ve read to my kids in waiting rooms every time as do a lot of other parents I see. My mother read to me in every waiting room. I hear louder voices from babies or kids crying , people checking in , or the receptionist’s area than I do from parents reading.

[Anonymous]

She sounds like a jerk. But, I agree with the other poster. When I have to overhear a parent speaking at a volume level that makes it seem like they think their kid has a hearing problem, over enunciating etc., I must admit I find it performative and tiresome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You were in a pediatric office and she expected silence? Who carries earplugs with them? How long does it take to read a child’s book? If you were sparkly softly, I think she was off base. In any case, I always try to remember that perhaps her child has a serious impending diagnosis so her reaction doesn’t have anything to do with me.

Team OP.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know why anyone would expect silence in a pediatrician waiting room. That being said, asking your kid multiple questions between pages would have actually annoyed me too and made me think you wanted everyone to know what an amazing mom you were. Maybe you didn’t mean to come across that way-but you probably did. Again though, that lady’s response was over the top.

[Anonymous]

Girl let this go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask yourself if she could have sat with her own thoughts and been able to concentrate on work or a novel. If not then you were being far too loud and very rude.

Alternatively, ask yourself if she could have read a book to her own kid in the same volume that you were using and that both your kids could have listened to your own stories without interference from the other. Like you wouldn’t have needed to keep getting louder to go over each other. If you could each read a story at that volume then it would have been fine. If not, far too loud. Other people shouldn’t be forced to listen to you talk just because your kid was being good for once and you were able to read to him. You should read aloud at home. 4 years old should be able to carefully “read” through a book or magazine to amuse himself even if yours can’t actually read at this age yet.

What? Who expects to be able to "sit with their own thoughts or concentrate on work or a novel" IN A PEDIATRICIAN'S OFFICE?