The first challenge I encountered when becoming a tween librarian was to define the age group I would be developing programs for. Dictionary.com defines a tween as "a youngster between 10 and 12 years of age, considered too old to be a child and too young to be a teenager". This is such a narrow age limitation. I am sure you have met 13 year old "youngsters" with the maturity level (physically and emotionally) of an 8 year old. Conversely, we have all known "youngsters" that have acted like "teens" starting at 10-12. So where does a poor tween librarian draw the line?
I spontaneously decided on the arbitrary age range of 8-12. Why did I choose this range? Honestly, it was just a shot in the dark. The range is broad enough to draw a big and diverse crowd at programs. Additionally, most 8 year old children are mature enough to have fun and behave themselves in the programing room for an hour while their parental units peruse the adult collection.
Keeping this age range in my programs has been a challenge to say the least. A common and reoccurring problem is parents who bring their "very mature" 5-7 year old children to the tween programs. They usually tag along with their resentful older sibling. This is not a fun situation for staff or the other children.
A good way to deter this behavior is to tell the parents that you are NOT responsible for their child well-being if they leave the programing room. No, this is not a harsh as it sounds. Yes, I will provide free literary entertainment abounds to their children. At the same time, I cannot entertain while simultaneously keeping track of their child's whereabouts at all times. Moreover, if they are disruptive they will be asked to leave the programing room for the good of the group.
My solution? I offer to let the child stay if the parent ALSO stays for the entire program duration. I want as many children as possible to enjoy the hard work I put into entertaining and enriching them. However, after one programing hour most parents come to a epiphany. Mature 6 year old children, while being very advanced for their age, are not at the same maturity and developmental level as a room full of 10-12 year old children.
I welcome your feedback librarian peanut gallery. What do you do to diplomatically prevent inappropriately aged children from coming to your library programming?
No comments:
Post a Comment