I needed to go to the library today to pick up a book I had on hold and also to return some books. As we walked in we had to venture over to the books they had on sale. Today was 50 percent off, so hardbacks were 25 cents and paperback books were a dime. How can I pass up cheap books? I couldn't but perhaps now I can and you will see why after I relate the following story.
We walked into the library. I was holding H as taking him in his car seat becomes harder every day as he gets bigger. I went left to peruse the cheap books. T and M went to the right and sat on the giant overstuffed chairs. I saw a few books that caught my eye but continued to look. T and M are now trying to put their heads through the plastic paneled book detection devices that you must walk through when you enter or leave the library. Still no problem until T sticks her head through the hole that M wants. M gets mad. T doesn't want to move and thinks it's funny. The plastic detection walls aren't very sturdy and why should they be if they just need to detect books that haven't been checked out. I tell them that they can each pick out a book if they will just stop. Yet T is laughing and putting her head through the stupid hole while M is trying to climb through the hole so that she can hit T. The librarian meanwhile is telling the girls to get off because it's unsafe. No change. So finally in a very non-library voice I say, "Knock it off!" and grab T by her arm and move her away from the situation. I take her over to my books and show her what I'm getting--anything to distract her. M meanwhile sees a book about penguins that she wants but I show her the one I already have which has more pictures. She wants that book about penguins so I just let her hold it. I hurry and go pick up my holds and we go to check out. I make the girls put all the books on the counter. I had 4 to check out and 4 to buy. I check out the books and then purchase the other 4 books and leave M's book about penguins to be bought by someone else. We are now heading out of the library back to our car. M wants to see her penguin book. I naively thought that she wouldn't remember what her book looked like. I gave her the book I purchased and she starts crying. She then grabs the book and throws it on the ground. T is now asking me about the zebra book we had checked out several weeks ago and that I had to return before we went on vacation. I told her we could check it out again; however, she is crying hysterically because she doesn't have the zebra book at home to read. Forget the 3 new animal books I had just bought. So remember I am holding H, M is yelling and throwing a fit about a book she wants that I didn't buy and now T is crying as well. No one wants to go to the car but me. So I can't go put H in the car and come back because I know M will dart out and most likely be hit by a car because she doesn't look and is so hysterical. Still holding H, I grab M's hands and start dragging/carrying her to the car. She is screaming. T is crying/screaming about the zebra book and H is just looking around. As we made our way to the van two different ladies commented to me, "Looks like this is going to be a long day." Ya think?
