Shhh, no talking in the library!
The library is a sacred place dedicated to learning and curling up in the peace and quiet to devour a great book. But unfortunately, bad attitudes don’t respect boundaries, and one entitled mother decided that the library is an appropriate place to throw a fit.
Below, you’ll find a story that a former student shared on Reddit, detailing how she watched a mom get banned from the library simply because she couldn’t get what she demanded.
This woman was minding her own business, studying in the library, when an entitled mother decided they had a problem
Image credits: Aaron Burden (not the actual photo)
But lucky for her, the librarian had a zero tolerance policy for this mom’s bad behavior
Image credits: Jonathan Borba (not the actual photo)
Image credits: National Cancer Institute (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Livy5000
Later, the woman shared even more details about the lovely librarian
Being a librarian is much more challenging than many people realize
While many people become librarians due to their love of literature, learning or helping out their communities, the job is not as glamorous as you might assume. There are currently over 80k librarians employed in the United States, with about two thirds of them being women and about one third being men. But considering that in 2020, there were 17,454 public libraries in the United States, it’s safe to say that many librarians are overworked. Over three quarters of librarians have at least one degree, yet the average salary for a librarian comes in at $53,096 per year, just under the average annual salary for all Americans.
According to librarian Abby Hargreaves, the job is much more demanding than people often realize. Abby notes that many librarian roles require a master’s degree, despite offering low salaries, and librarians are frequently expected to go beyond their job descriptions. “It’s a regular refrain amongst librarians that their communities expect them to ‘do more with less’ and fill the gaps left in community and social services, which leads to issues like vocational awe, compassion fatigue, and burnout,” she explains. “Wages disproportionate to the jobs, expectations, and challenges that come with librarianship make these issues all the more difficult.”
Image credits: Samantha Hentosh (not the actual photo)
They’re often underpaid, overworked and forced to deal with difficult visitors
While you might picture a librarian’s job as relaxing, assuming they sit at a desk and scan books and library cards all day, Abby notes that this is not the case whatsoever. She explains that libraries have become “community hubs” over the years, hosting book clubs, study groups, meetings for organizations and more, all of which require much more active effort on the part of librarians to keep visitors in check. From unsupervised children running wild to teens taking advantage of free wifi and causing mischief on the upper floors, Abby says most librarians have “seen some things.” So it’s incredibly important to treat them with respect, rather than cause a scene or feel entitled to special privileges.
In this particular case, it’s clear that the mother was entitled and felt like the rules of the library didn’t apply to her. Amazingly, her daughter seemed to have an easier time accepting no for an answer than she did, but kids learn by example, and this mom was certainly not setting a great one in that moment. According to parenting coach Dr. Traci Baxley, studies have found that children who grow up with a sense of entitlement “are more concerned about themselves, show less empathy for others, lack a strong work ethic, and may behave as if rules don’t apply to them.” It’s important for children to understand boundaries and that they can’t always get what they want, especially not by throwing tantrums. Or they just might get banned from a library one day…
Image credits: Adam Winger (not the actual photo)
Entitled parents can negatively impact everyone around them, especially their children
Being raised by an entitled parent can have various negative impacts on a child, aside from possibly giving the child a sense of entitlement. They may end up with an inferiority complex and may never learn how to advocate for themselves, licensed marriage and family therapist Catherine Athans told HuffPost. This can even impact them later in life, when applying for jobs and trying to navigate personal relationships. If they were never shown the value of hard work, they may easily give up or become confused when effort is required of them.
And when it comes to creating impactful relationships, licensed marriage and family therapist, Becky Stuempfig, told HuffPost they may not have developed necessary communication and interpersonal skills. Or, “they may have been told by their parents that others ‘are not good enough’ for them and therefore have a hard time connecting with others in a meaningful way in their adult life,” Stuempfig notes.
Image credits: Alexey Bocharov (not the actual photo)
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think the warrior librarians of the world deserve more respect? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing entitled parents, look no further than right here!
Some readers poured out their love for librarians
The OP also provided background info on the mother, and readers shared sympathy for her daughter
My elementary school was in a rough part of a rough town. We had desperate poverty, plenty of alcoholic parents, if I'd known enough then to report things I might have saved a few friends from abuse. Or might not, foster homes weren't safe either, children's services was pretty corrupt, and we all learned to fear DCFS young. Anyway, the school librarian was an absolute dragon, no one wanted to cross her. As a result, the library was one of the few places where nothing bad could happen to you. Forty some years later it is a haven I still remember fondly. It might be the only reason I survived my early education.
Librarians are cool. They know things. Lots of things. But don't forget: the library is their territory. If you cause trouble, they can destroy you in a heartbeat.
I'm grateful to the librarian who spoke to an inconsiderate patron. Someone plugged in their laptop in a higher-traffic area and refused to move closer to the wall, even after someone almost almost tripped on the wire. I was too angry to keep my cool, so I spoke to a librarian. She handled the problem calmly and firmly.
Load More Replies...
My elementary school was in a rough part of a rough town. We had desperate poverty, plenty of alcoholic parents, if I'd known enough then to report things I might have saved a few friends from abuse. Or might not, foster homes weren't safe either, children's services was pretty corrupt, and we all learned to fear DCFS young. Anyway, the school librarian was an absolute dragon, no one wanted to cross her. As a result, the library was one of the few places where nothing bad could happen to you. Forty some years later it is a haven I still remember fondly. It might be the only reason I survived my early education.
Librarians are cool. They know things. Lots of things. But don't forget: the library is their territory. If you cause trouble, they can destroy you in a heartbeat.
I'm grateful to the librarian who spoke to an inconsiderate patron. Someone plugged in their laptop in a higher-traffic area and refused to move closer to the wall, even after someone almost almost tripped on the wire. I was too angry to keep my cool, so I spoke to a librarian. She handled the problem calmly and firmly.
Load More Replies...
201
41