I Am Not Your Babysitter!

Photo by left-hand

The other day at the doctor's office, I had a fun little experience that reminded me how child-centric our society is.  I was reading my book when a grandmother and her two grandchildren, aged 4 and 6, walk in.  (I know their ages, because she loudly told the person she sat beside.) 

The 4 year old, a little girl, walked right up to me and announced, "I have a dress on!"  I gave her a smile and told her that, yes, she did and it was very pretty.  Then I went back to my book.  The little girl proceeded to climb up onto the chair next to me and start to prattle about whatever it is that interests 4 year old people.  I looked up at her grandmother to intervene as I was clearly involved in my book and not interested in babysitting.  The grandmother smiles sweetly at me and says, "Oh, you might as well put your book away, she's going to be your friend!"

Um.  No. 

The child is not mine, at no point did I agree to take on any responsibility for it, and it is not my job to entertain it.   I gave the grandmother a pointed look and went back to my book, ignoring the girl until she got bored and went away. 

Now, I know full well I offended the grandmother.  I also know, from the sighs and muttering around me, that other patients thought I was being rude.  But I maintain that expecting strangers to provide any sort of child care is far more rude than having the stranger refuse to accept the unwanted and unasked for responsibility.  It says rather a lot about the perception people have of their children that they think everyone should want to drop what they're doing to fawn over them.