Ransacking in the name of the library

I have a love/hate relationship with the library. I know, you're probably thinking, how in the world does someone hate the library? Well, let me explain.

First, I do love the library. I mean, you get to read books. For free! Awesome. And, not just the read-it-while-I-sit-in-Borders-and-pretend-that-I-might-buy-it type of reading. You actually get to take books out of the library and read in the comfort of your own home. Or backyard. Or even car. (I may or may not have, at one time, driven up to Sonic, ordered a drink, and read a book in the parking lot while my mother-in-law watched the girls for an hour in the afternoon. Wait? Should I be admitting that? Oh well. It was a heavenly hour.)

And, I love that Molly loves the library. She gets so excited when I tell her we're going. She goes through the shelves, all willy-nilly, picking up whatever gets closest to her hands. I won't pretend that she picks based on title, author or even the front cover. Nope, whatever her hand lands on, that's the book she has to have. Charlotte doesn't know enough to get excited about it yet, but she does enjoy the toys they have in the kids' section. Whoever thought to put out a disconnected old computer keyboard was a genius. That girl can pound on those keys for hours.

I also love that we can walk to our local library. I love to load the girls up in the stroller, get a little exercise and walk the mile to the library. It's such a great way to get out and enjoy a beautiful day. It also helps, when the girls are cranky, to pass more time until Daddy gets home. The one problem with this one is, that we tend to go to the library more in the winter because we need to get out of the house when the weather is crappy. That totally negates the whole walking part.

Anyway, so have I convinced you that I love the library? Now, the opposite side of that coin. Why I hate the library.

Should I even mention when we got kicked out of story hour? Well, I'm going to. I was so excited to sign Molly up for the 2-year-old story hour. I fit it in our schedule and put it (in pen) on our calendar. I just knew that because I love the library so much, Molly was going to love story hour. Well, no one mentioned that this particular story hour (at the Indian Creek branch of the Olathe library - not to name names or anything) was run by a strict, unsmiling dictator. She insisted that all of the 2-year-olds sit on their carpet squares and not move or make any noise. I tried my darndest to get Molly to be quiet and attentive like all the other perfectly behaved 2-year-olds, but she was not having it. She wanted to explore the room, and nothing I did convinced her otherwise. I even tried holding the child down, but then she started crying, thus breaking the other rule. Long story short, after too many dirty looks and "will you please have her sit on her square" statements, I heaved my pregnant self and my 2-year-old explorer out of that library story hour and never returned. Really, you expect a room-full of 2-year-olds to be perfectly still for an hour? I guess the other kids must act that way, but it was not happening for us. Not that I'm still bitter or holding a grudge.

And my other reason for hating the library. I think it must be part of Murphy's Law that the one book you can't find when your books are due is the one that you can't renew. Seriously. We had a bunch of books due yesterday, and there was only one that couldn't be renewed online. It was the one we couldn't find. We searched everywhere. And, have you ever tried to get a 3-year-old to help out in looking for something? It doesn't matter if she is the only one who has even looked at it since you brought it home, she will be of absolutely no help whatsoever. That didn't stop me from trying to get her involved in the search. Here's a sample from our conversation during the "search":

Me: Molly would you please help me look for your book?
Molly: Where should I look?
Me: Where were you reading it?
Me: Molly, pay attention. Please look for your book.
Molly: OK
Me: Why don't you look on your bookshelf?
Me: Molly, stop looking at all the books, and look for the one from the library.
Molly: I'm going to look downstairs.
Me: OK
(Several minutes later)
Me: Molly, why are you straddling the arm of the couch?
Molly: I'm Jessie from Toy Story, and I'm riding Bullseye. Yeehaw!
Me: Molly, please help me look for this book. Why don't you look in your toy basket?
Molly: OK
Me: Molly, please stop brushing your pony's hair and look for the book.
Molly: It's not in here.
Me: Well, look somewhere else.
Me: Molly, please stop practicing your somersaults and help me look for your library book or I'm taking the fine out of your piggy bank!
Molly (indignantly): Mommy, I AM looking! And, you can have my piggy bank money.

So, there you have it. The reasons I both love and hate the library. My love of the library sometimes is at odds with my desperate want of an e-reader of my very own. While an e-reader would help ensure I personally never lose another book, I know it will not help solve my problem with lost children's books. Someone should invent some kind of GPS tracker for library book barcodes that would help parents locate these misplaced books. That person would be a genius! Or, a person with a desire to infringe on your personal right to privacy. You choose.

For your viewing pleasure, a video from a couple months ago of Molly "reading" a book to Charlotte before bed.

*The lost book was finally found by Cory at 8:30pm on the day it was due. We did not have to cough up $.30 from Molly's piggy bank.