Inside Voices

I was taught as I think many of us were and I know I passed on to my children that when you are in the Library you are expected to use your inside voice.  This goes for children and adults.  Everyone is expected to use their inside voice.  The library is a place where children really get the opportunity to excercise self control and parents get to help their children step up to the challenge.

No running up and down the stairs, yelling, squeeling, wrestling on the floor and playing with the automatic doors.  No, no, no! 

Yes, mom was there but she was engaged in her own high pitched squeeling of "Oh my god, how are you doing" catch up with a friend, speaking at heights one would use when bumping into someone on the street in Manhattan.  Hmmm wonder if that's where they are from.

I held back as long as I could and out it came.  "What is the matter with you, have you taken leave of your senses or do you really believe everything is about you and your children, that the rest of us don't matter, that you are somehow entitled to behave badly at will and anyone in your path should just move out of the way or get run over"? Well not today.  "Do you not have any inside voices of your own that would lead you to a place of knowledge and understanding for respecting the library's environment"? 

There was more of course, not much more but enough.  She stood there, mouth hanging open, her friend fidgeting while her children were blocking the entrance way repeatedly pushing the buttons for the automatic doors to open and trying to swing on the door handles as the doors opened and closed.  She looked around, slowly panning the area with a steady even head movement, almost like Tai Chi.  My guess is she was looking for a face confirming I was one of the town's crazy residents on the loose and my keeper would be along to collect me soon.

A hush came over the lobby, people quietly went about their business, some walking past with their heads hanging down, all avoiding eye contact and the children were still in the entrance way bouncing off of the door handles.  She beckoned to her friend to walk with her towards the door, they scooped up the children and left the library.

I went back to my reading.