I was at the SICM today
Nov. 16th, 2007 12:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
First time ALL WEEK because the kids were sick-sick. The worst kind of sick, too, where they're active and hyper, but they're still fevered and coughing, and it's too cold/wet to just hang out outside.
Here we were in the toddler area, Block Harbor.
Now, Block Harbor is a cool room. It's got a little kitchen, and a huge ship (the ship is above the kitchen, which is properly a "galley"), and some heavy-ass blocks (seriously, those can cause massive injury if thrown off a bridge at another child) and hey, a bridge, and some dinosaurs, and I don't know what. Oh, and a hammock. And, unfortunately, a squirter of handwash stuff that's at the right height for a not-very-tall four year old to reach. That stuff is pure alcohol, so I don't let Angelique do that.
AND, it only has one exit, so you can go in there with the kids and let them get out of your sight a bit, so long as you circle the room every couple of minutes and keep your eye on the door.
So here we are playing, and a little girl, maybe three years old - closer to two, I think - comes into the room. By herself. Now, right outside the room is an area with a great train table, so having one kid here and another there is a constant problem, and one that's only solvable if you're standing in the doorway. Block Harbor is a wonderful room, but it's only safe with some level of supervision. I've seen kids try to climb on the bridge so they could fall off (Ana, mostly), I've seen kids throw the heavy-ass blocks from the bridge (and yelled at them, too), I've seen kids (Ana again) press the rubbing alcohol thingy, and I heard from the staff all about this kid who fell down in a bit of a freak accident and injured his eye. Not to mention, there's always some hugely disgusting bit of candy on the floor from the *other* misbehaving parents who feed their kids outside the cafeteria and then don't deign to pick up their garbage after. The first, I don't care about, but the second NEEDS TO FUCKING STOP NOW.
And her mom doesn't peek her head in to see if anybody is there to tell her if her kid should suddenly get injured, and doesn't show up. So after a while, I ask the kid - "Where's your mom?" And she doesn't answer. Now, this upsets me. The kid is not capable of telling me where her mother is, but she's left alone? That's not cool. Of course, I did know where her mother was - right outside, at the train table, with the other child, reading a book.
Apparently, I have a "problem" for pointing out to her that she's supposed to be with her child at all times. Oh, you have to "watch him"? Great - bring him in there, or bring her out here, but I have no qualms about going to the front desk to ask them to tell you to watch your damn child. It's just not that safe.
Here we were in the toddler area, Block Harbor.
Now, Block Harbor is a cool room. It's got a little kitchen, and a huge ship (the ship is above the kitchen, which is properly a "galley"), and some heavy-ass blocks (seriously, those can cause massive injury if thrown off a bridge at another child) and hey, a bridge, and some dinosaurs, and I don't know what. Oh, and a hammock. And, unfortunately, a squirter of handwash stuff that's at the right height for a not-very-tall four year old to reach. That stuff is pure alcohol, so I don't let Angelique do that.
AND, it only has one exit, so you can go in there with the kids and let them get out of your sight a bit, so long as you circle the room every couple of minutes and keep your eye on the door.
So here we are playing, and a little girl, maybe three years old - closer to two, I think - comes into the room. By herself. Now, right outside the room is an area with a great train table, so having one kid here and another there is a constant problem, and one that's only solvable if you're standing in the doorway. Block Harbor is a wonderful room, but it's only safe with some level of supervision. I've seen kids try to climb on the bridge so they could fall off (Ana, mostly), I've seen kids throw the heavy-ass blocks from the bridge (and yelled at them, too), I've seen kids (Ana again) press the rubbing alcohol thingy, and I heard from the staff all about this kid who fell down in a bit of a freak accident and injured his eye. Not to mention, there's always some hugely disgusting bit of candy on the floor from the *other* misbehaving parents who feed their kids outside the cafeteria and then don't deign to pick up their garbage after. The first, I don't care about, but the second NEEDS TO FUCKING STOP NOW.
And her mom doesn't peek her head in to see if anybody is there to tell her if her kid should suddenly get injured, and doesn't show up. So after a while, I ask the kid - "Where's your mom?" And she doesn't answer. Now, this upsets me. The kid is not capable of telling me where her mother is, but she's left alone? That's not cool. Of course, I did know where her mother was - right outside, at the train table, with the other child, reading a book.
Apparently, I have a "problem" for pointing out to her that she's supposed to be with her child at all times. Oh, you have to "watch him"? Great - bring him in there, or bring her out here, but I have no qualms about going to the front desk to ask them to tell you to watch your damn child. It's just not that safe.
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Date: 2007-11-17 02:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-18 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-17 02:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-18 04:55 pm (UTC)