When your toddler pulls books off the bookshleves at the library...

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[Post New]05/31/2011 12:47
Anonymous
2 yr old DD loves to pull books off the shelf at the local library. I know I know, I shouldn't let her do this and should teach her to finish the book before pulling out another one. When she does end up taking out bunch of books, is it better to leave them on the cart so the librarian can put them back in the right order, or put them back myself (with or without DD's "help") even if they are not in the right location? I know you can figure out the location by the code on the cover and I try to do my best, but sometimes it's hard while chasing down a toddler at the same time.
[Post New]05/31/2011 12:48
Anonymous
Put them on the cart
[Post New]05/31/2011 12:51
Anonymous
Tail wagging the dog.
[Post New]05/31/2011 12:51
Anonymous
The ones I can put back correctly I do put back myself. The others I leave on the cart.

DD was 12 months when she did this and we had to leave the library. She could not understand why she was not supposed to do this and started screaming her head off...
[Post New]05/31/2011 12:53
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:2 yr old DD loves to pull books off the shelf at the local library. I know I know, I shouldn't let her do this and should teach her to finish the book before pulling out another one. When she does end up taking out bunch of books, is it better to leave them on the cart so the librarian can put them back in the right order, or put them back myself (with or without DD's "help") even if they are not in the right location? I know you can figure out the location by the code on the cover and I try to do my best, but sometimes it's hard while chasing down a toddler at the same time.


Then why don't you? too much effort for you as a SAHM to actually parent?
[Post New]05/31/2011 12:53
Anonymous
Try "We don't pull books off the shelf at the library. If you keep doing that we will have to leave."
[Post New]05/31/2011 12:54
Anonymous
You really need help with this? Put them on the cart and remove your child from the library.
[Post New]05/31/2011 12:55
Anonymous
It might harm her child's budding psyche to say "no, stop." That is not positive parenting (see the word "no" above?)

Also, that's what the librarian gets PAID for, duh. That, and sweeping crushed Goldfish crackers off the floor under the Please, No Eating or Drinking sign.
[Post New]05/31/2011 13:02
Anonymous
When she pulls off the second book after not putting back the first, tell her firmly that she can't have another book without putting back the first. If she pulls off another, remove her from the library. Depending on her reaction, I might just leave the two or three books at issue on the floor at that point as it is the best of the evils. Then, I would take her outside and let her get her crying out and tell her that when she calms down and is ready to put the books back, she can go back in. If she gets calm enough, take her in and let her put them away. Repeat if necessary. If she doesn't get calm enough to put the books away, call it a day.

Your job is to teach your child, not just to clean up after her.
[Post New]05/31/2011 13:17
mabodie
Member Offline
We found that more often than not there were already some books off the shelves. We made a "game" of putting those away (she lined up the spines, I alphabetized, etc) and then got to select a book. So we "went to the library to sort books" and then if there weren't any out to look at we'd choose a few from the shelves. I never restricted DD to one book at a time but did have a firm rule that books needed to be handled gently (and letting them just drop on the floor was *not* treating them gently).

I am not a good housekeeper myself but am very strict that if we go to someone else's "place" we have to clean up after ourselves and leave it at least as tidy as we found it.

If you aren't familiar with the book shelving system then I think it is reasonable to ask the librarian for help.
[Post New]05/31/2011 13:19
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:

Also, that's what the librarian gets PAID for, duh. That, and sweeping crushed Goldfish crackers off the floor under the Please, No Eating or Drinking sign.


Nope. It's not the librarian that is PAID to shelve books. It's the person who makes minimum wage that shelves your books.
If you can put them back in the correct order, please do so. If not, then yes, put them on a cart and leave.
[Post New]05/31/2011 13:19
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:When she pulls off the second book after not putting back the first, tell her firmly that she can't have another book without putting back the first. If she pulls off another, remove her from the library. Depending on her reaction, I might just leave the two or three books at issue on the floor at that point as it is the best of the evils. Then, I would take her outside and let her get her crying out and tell her that when she calms down and is ready to put the books back, she can go back in. If she gets calm enough, take her in and let her put them away. Repeat if necessary. If she doesn't get calm enough to put the books away, call it a day.

Your job is to teach your child, not just to clean up after her.


This
[Post New]05/31/2011 13:19
Anonymous
I always thought one should not attempt to reshelve the books because of the possibility of errors, so I put them in the cart.

[Post New]05/31/2011 13:27
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:2 yr old DD loves to pull books off the shelf at the local library. I know I know, I shouldn't let her do this and should teach her to finish the book before pulling out another one. When she does end up taking out bunch of books, is it better to leave them on the cart so the librarian can put them back in the right order, or put them back myself (with or without DD's "help") even if they are not in the right location? I know you can figure out the location by the code on the cover and I try to do my best, but sometimes it's hard while chasing down a toddler at the same time.


Then why don't you? too much effort for you as a SAHM to actually parent?


WTF? Did she say she was SAH? Why do you assume that--because you assume that only SAH parents have kids who do absolutely crazy off the wall shit like taking books off of shelves? Or did you assume that because you can't imagine a WOH parent taking their kid somewhere out in public?

Either way, the assumption makes it look like you are the one who doesn't spend much time parenting.
[Post New]05/31/2011 13:51
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:You really need help with this? Put them on the cart and remove your child from the library.


Second this!
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