A Good Mother Would

Good mothers take their children to public libraries.  Woo-hoo!  check.  Lookin' good.  Good mothers take their children to story time at libraries.  I get points for trying...  But the boys just weren't diggin' the scene.  They weren't buying what that old bird was selling.  They didn't like the smell of the funk she was layin' down.  (too weird?  sorry.)

So what have we got so far?  A good mother would go to the library.  check.  A good mother would try to go to story time.  check.  A good mother would check that her children are checking out age appropriate literature from said library after said story time.   Ummm...

The children's section at the library was a complete madhouse.  A complete.  freaking.  circus.  WAAAY too many little cuties.  Way too many.  It wouldn't really be a big deal, I like lots of little cuties... but sweet Baby Harry is in that fun loving phase where he isn't content unless he is running or trying to shove something up his nose.  Sometimes both.  So library time went something like this.  Where's Lucas?  There he is.  Animal reference section.  Of course.  Where he always is. Where is Max?  Ah, yes.  Right behind Lucas.  Where he always is.  Harry?  running running running.  drinking fountain!  ooh!  computer wires!  What happens if I pull this?  running running running.  ooh, a book.  huh.  I bet I can step on it.  running running running.  drinking fountain again!  wheee!


"You get three books boys.  No, Lucas.  You do not get seven.  I see the two books you have hiding in your shirt.  Only three.  Only three. No.  Not five.  We will come back, I promise.  No.  Not four.  Three.  Max.  Three?  Three.  Great.  Let's hit it."

A good mother would have checked the books that her children had picked out from the library before they were checked out.  But Harry was stealing pencils from other library patrons and trying to pull wires out of computers.  So we really needed to bail.  Somehow between the confusion of keeping Harrison out of the drinking fountain and rescuing would be stolen books out from under Lucas's various articles of clothing, I didn't even glance at the boys' books until we got home.  Lucas came home with exactly what I would have expected.  Animals Around the World.  Wild Animals in Captivity. and, What Can We Do About Endangered Animals?  Classic, six year old Lucas.  Max, however...  Max somehow brought home the three most boring, and most obscure childrens' books in the entire world.  The first dedicated to the planet Mercury (in his defense, Max thought he was getting a Star Wars book); the second, a weird graphic collection of Chinese Mythology;  and the third, a children's book on Geothermal Energy!  Yes!  Geothermal Energy!  With an exclamation point!  In fact, there were LOTS of exclamation points!

He's four.  Next time maybe he will get a little bit of help in choosing his library books.  Or maybe not. Because Harry likes drinking fountains.  And computer cords.  And running.