Thursday, September 18, 2008

Shall We Ask Emily Post?

What exactly is the etiquette for doctor's office waiting rooms?

When my child is on the "well" side of the office and your child runs over from the "sick" side with you behind her saying "just don't touch his face!!!", should I be concerned?

When you continue to hang out on the "well" side in a very un-crowded waiting room, should I ask if your child is, in fact, sick?

When you and your child traipse from the "sick" side to the "well" side and back, have you successfully renamed the sides of the office to "sick" and "sicker"?


Grrrrrr.

12 comments:

Lauren said...

Hey, I think that lady lives in our town too. My favorite is when parents not only let their kids cross the line into the well side with crusty noses and wet coughs, but when the kid actually coughs or sneezes on the toys and books on the well side. Our ped office has a little kid-sized picnic table with benches, and I once saw a kid wipe his nose with his bare hand and then smear it on the table. Delightful.

Corie said...

I'm just jealous that you have a well and sick side.

We all get lumped in one happy room.

I don't think doctors in the midwest have gotten the memo on seperate waiting spaces for sick kids.

Ann Marie said...

hm. i dont think Emily P addresses this issue, but it could be in a part of the book I skipped (I read her for fun. pathetic. I know.)
seriously tho, this is not something I have ever thought about, since I dont have little ones...in my office we try to get any contagious-looking preggies back to "sub waiting" to stay away from the mostly-well preggies...

rebekah said...

i have no idea, but that made me laugh.

just politely ask if you can have their address and when she asks why tell her you just need to know where to send the bill when you have to come back to the doctor.

Lindsay said...

That's funny. I'm probably too unconfrontational to actually say something about it, but I would be aggravated, too...

Rachel said...

When I was growing up, we went to this ANCIENT doctor's office with an ANCIENTER doctor. In fact, my Dad had gone to that doctor in the 50's, and told me that in the 50's, it wasn't sick and well rooms, it was the segregated waiting rooms!
Rabbit Trail.
Yes, I hate it when parents do that too. And I bet they are annoyed by it also when they are on the well side of things.

Erica Shepherd said...

Oh Greta, I just laughed out loud. I haven't ever thought about this, but that would really aggravate me.

Alicia said...

I didn't even know sick sides and well sides existed at Ped's offices!! Very jealous!

Jenna said...

my vote is for "sick and sicker". hope your little guy miraculously stays well.

Jennifer said...

At MY pediatrician's office, the sick and well are kept on 2 separate floors with their own entrances. There is rarely ever a sick to well cross-over, except for when a parent who is apparently new mistakenly brings their sick child into the well floor, but the receptionist is very quick in directing them upstairs.

However, if I were in your shoes, I would have told the child in my sweetest voice, "Honey, you need to stay with your mommy. We don't want the kids over here to get sick too, do we?" It probably wouldn't work, but it's what I would do, I think.

Greta said...

Well I supposed I should be thankful for our "separate" rooms, although the separate floors (Jennifer) sounds ingenius!
And to clarify, the little girl's mom as WITH her each time she came over soooo I would've had to talk to her mom in my sweetest voice ;).

Jennifer said...

The mom was WITH her!?!?!?! Oh my WORD!!! If that had been the case, I would have said something, and not necessarily in my sweet voice!