Leaving kids at the library
For Father's Day Friday, frequent Guest Dad Joe Burris offers his take on yet another sign of families struggling to pay for care for their kids:
Last week while vacationing in my hometown of Florence, S.C., I stopped by the library for a few days and noticed that on each day there were a number of unsupervised kids present -- both inside the building and outside. Some of the youngsters appeared to be preteens. All were milling about nowhere near the reading materials.
What made matters worse was that at closing time some of these kids were still around, waiting for family members to pick them up.
I was later told that the facility had become a place where parents who can’t afford summer camp drop off their kids for the entire day, and then, to the chagrin of the library officials, are often tardy when coming to retrieve them. I was also told that library officials had complained to some parents that their tardiness delayed the facility’s 8:30 p.m., closing, but apparently those words went unheeded.
As a parent, I believe that one of the greatest casualties of living in an unsafe society is that in most areas children can’t simply go outside and play. Nowadays there’s a price tag on playtime, indoors and outdoors, and I certainly empathize with anyone who can’t pay for such activities.
But failing to come pick a child up from a venue until it’s almost dark outside seemed like a bit much. Years ago when I lived in the Boston area, I heard of similar problems at public pools. Some parents would admit that they dropped their kids there all day because they had to work during the day and couldn’t afford all-day child care.
My wife and I have been fortunate to have our older daughter in camp all summer. I shudder to think of what we’d have to resort to if that weren’t the case.
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Comments
I'm currently pregnant with my third child. I have 2 other children, 4 and 6. This summer has been the most difficult as far as finding activities to keep them occupied. Because we are on one income, my husband's, we are not able to pay 140/ wk per child for YMCA or any other camp. I haven't resorted to dropping my kids off but I know the pain or trying to find solutions for summer activities.
Posted by: Tierra | July 17, 2009 12:32 PM
These parents should be reported for abandonment. This is totally irresponsible - this is exactly what the pedophiles love to hear.
Posted by: Rages | July 18, 2009 6:52 AM
Has nobody heard of birth control? Two kids you cannot afford and having a third? More like third world. You are a sad case.
Posted by: Lamont | July 18, 2009 9:20 AM
Perhaps in some Mayberry-like area kids could be dropped off at a library for long periods. That scenario is dangerous here. Our neighborhood library was recently revamped and is wonderful. However it is definitely not a place for kids of any age unsupervised for extended periods. If a child is old enough to be left in a library for hours they are probably old enough to be left at home (and are a lot safer there).
Posted by: ruth | July 18, 2009 2:30 PM
Jeez, Lamont, rein it in willya.
Posted by: RayRay | July 20, 2009 3:52 PM
We have had a problem at our public library for many years with teens hanging out there after school. The library is located next to the high school and they share a parking lot. It seems that some parents have their kids wait around at the library for a few hours every day until they are available to come pick them up. It would be great if the kids were doing homework or something, but usually they are hanging out around the front doors smoking, cursing and being rude to the librarians. I have also seen a sign about no sleeping in the library. So, I guess they were doing that too.
There must be a problem with people leaving small children as well, because they have posted a copy of the MD law stating that children under 8 cannot be left alone anywhere. I cannot imagine people leaving children under 8 alone there, but it must have happened if they are putting up a sign about it.
Posted by: Christine Connally | July 20, 2009 7:14 PM
I sympathize with those parents who have to resort to leaving their children somewhere while they work or look for a job and haven't the money to pay for child care. Lack of funds is a real problem in today's economy and it has hit all of us. The children, especially, are not at fault but because they are unable to tend to themselves, we as a community need to become a "village" to help them along. We all can help each other along. If the library is becoming the care giver, they should be honored. I agree, however, they should not be abused. The library should set up some programs for the children to draw them in and get them interested in the real purpose of the library. And the staff should inform the parents who abuse closing time that the children will be turned over to other authorities if they cannot be picked up by closing. That's not to be harsh, but if the librarians are going to give a little, the parents will have to give a little also. Another suggestion is that the parents who partake of the librarians good nature should be asked to volunteer during their time off or on Saturday to help supervise these children. Something can be amicably worked out to help everyone.
Posted by: Yaya | July 21, 2009 10:09 AM
I have been a librarian for over a decade. Sadly, abandoning kids at the library is all too common. What parents aren't realizing is the library staff do not have the time or resources to care for these children. The staff will NOT be responsible for making sure children stay on the premises, don't talk to pedophiles, do not engage in illegal behaviors or anything else; the most a librarian can legally do is eject a child who has violated the library code of conduct. Watching kids is not in the average librarian's job description, and most library staff are too busy with the jobs they are paid to do to take on extra unpaid work. In the libraries where I've worked, I've seen pedophiles try to walk out with other people's kids; people arrested while using the library computers for disseminating child porn and soliciting children in online chat rooms; teens and pre-teens engaging in sexual activities and drug use; and unsupervised children committing acts of theft and vandalism of library materials. Children need to be in the care of reliable caretaker, not abandoned at the library to look after themselves.
Posted by: Marna | July 21, 2009 3:43 PM
If this bothers you, please complain to library administration (not the people who run the branch, but the people who run the system) and the mayor/commissioner/administrator who oversees the libraries. Complaints from staff carry no weight whatsoever.
Posted by: A. Nony Mouse | July 21, 2009 4:21 PM
Humm, haven't these parents heard of Vacation Bible School? That's what my mom used to get a bit of respite in the summer time. I went to Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, whatever church was having a VBS, there I was.
VBS is lots of fun. It is run by caring people who want to work with kids and children learn a lot about the bible along the way, which in addition to teaching a moral code, is also a valuable asset in understanding English literature.
Libraries are not free daycare centers and these folks are taking unfair advantage. Vacation Bible Schools are happy to entertain and educate children.
Posted by: Debby | July 21, 2009 7:04 PM
If a child is under the age of 13 and is there when we leave the library, our policy states that we wait for ten minutes and then we call the police and have them pick up the child and either wait with them or take them back to the police station.
Posted by: Katherine | July 21, 2009 9:38 PM
Vacation Bible School? Sounds great but My experience with them has been that they desend enmasse to the library themselves and then the counselors all go on break and expect the librarian to do their jobs for them....What we need is a national preschol system that promotes kindergarten readiness and is FREE for any child who wants to go.
Posted by: KC | July 29, 2009 8:32 PM
I'm glad I found this topic for I need to vent and am at my wit's end.
This is my first summer working at an urban library and the kids have been bouncing off the walls all summer. On Mondays and Wednesdays we open at 10 AM and close at 7 PM and the same kids are here from opening til close. They don't want to read, do any of the programs we offer, don't want to play Wii games, all they do is go on the Internet and run around the library. Trying to talk to them is like talking to a brick wall.
They are loud, rude, disrespectful and don't listen. They mock you openly to your face and the only person who commands their respect is the director and she is often out because she helps manage another library. We threaten to call parents but even that elicits an "I don't care" from these kids.
The fact is that these aren't teens. They are always the kids that are 10-13 years old, the "tweens" as we call it. Is it just puberty they are going through? Bad parenting at home? Acting out for kicks? I can't wait until they go back to school again, although they just come after school and cause the same commotion.
I am seriously thinking about quitting this job, except for the fact that librarian jobs are few and far between. But my health and peace of mind is seriously being affected by this.
Posted by: Anonymous YA Librarian | August 25, 2009 5:37 PM
This is completely irresponsible. I would never even consider leaving my child at the library, or anywhere else like this, for the entire day unsupervised. I don't understand what people are thinking anymore!!! If you can't afford childcare, camp, etc. then you need to be home with your child. This kind of behavior is inexcusable.
Posted by: Holly | August 31, 2009 5:08 PM