9.18.2009

power struggle

For two hours each week I sit in the waiting room at the children's hospital while Tristan gets his OT and PT. And for two whole hours I see a lot of people come and go. Most people don't wait in the waiting room very long. Well, at least not the children they get trotted off to the back to go 'play'.

The room is pretty small, almost a third of the size of the WTR waiting area. There is a small play table and some really old books and magazines laying about... and there is a TV. Mounted up in the corner of the room. It is either on PBS or NICK jr ALL THE TIME.... I prefer the former.... less noise some how. But what I really prefer is for the TV to be off.

After a few weeks of this I started turning the TV off when I was the only person in the room. Most days I would be in there for 20 or more minutes alone... that is a whole lot of Dora to listen to if you really don't have too. And if a new person entered I would ask them if they wanted it on. I felt like this was reasonable.

One of the ladies at the check-in desk did not. Without saying a word to me every once in awhile she would come in and turn it back on... even when it was just me sitting there.

I started to pay attention to see if the kids were really watching it. 9 times out of 10 they didn't. They played on the play table or with their own toys, without so much as a glance up to the screen. Some even brought books over to their parents.

So I turned it off again. If a kid wants to read a book... TURN OFF THE TV!

In comes Nurse Ratchet. On it goes. Still not even a glance at me. Finally (last Friday) by the end of my 2 hours she comes back out of the office with a small typed up note that read " Do not touch the TV please."

All righty then.... whatever.... we'll see how it goes this Friday....

author update: when I walked into the waiting room this past Friday the note was gone! So somewhere out there I have an ally...... the plot thickens!

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