Librarians as "babysitters"

I stumbled onto this blog from the homepage of my AOL site. The teaser caught my attention--something about a mom who wanted to go upstairs and leave her kid with the librarian and the "response she got upset our writer." As I clicked on the link I thought, "Oh, brother. What kind of 'upsetting' response did this mother receive, and who's the nasty librarian that's giving a bum wrap to all the rest of us?" The story appeared. It seems that "Mom" was in the children's room with her 5-year-old. (Five years old, remember....) Mom wanted to dash upstairs to the adult department to get a book and informed the librarian of this fact. Mom subsequently asked the librarian to "watch" her child for about three minutes. As one commenter to the blog pointed out, it's highly doubtful that three minutes is all it would take this mom to find her book and check it out. Anyway, the librarian in the children's room reluctantly agreed to babysit the kid but warned the mother that a public place such as a library has the same dangers in it as any other public place. Now the mom and the blogger are accusing the librarian of not being helpful and being some kind of paranoid hatemonger.

Perhaps Blogger Lady and Irresponsible Mom should spend a week volunteering in a public library. I'm sure they'd quickly realize why the librarian in this story warned mom. Are Mom and Blogger really that naive that they aren't aware of who visits a public library? Public computers aren't all being utilized for homework. There are plenty of pervs who visit their local public libraries, and although those of us in the library try our best to make the environment safe, the fact remains that it only takes a split second for a pervert to do permanent damage. I love my public library, and I took my own children there--and take my grandchildren there now. But I would NEVER leave any child--especially not a five-year-old--unattended in a public library or anywhere else for that matter. Wake up people: NO place is safe! Be responsible for your child! We librarians will help, but don't put us in a position of being the responsible adult for YOUR child!

Here's the story: http://www.parentdish.com/2010/03/30/can-a-mom-leave-her-kid-alone-at-the-library-for-three-minutes/7#c26709444