library rules

A truth about raising three little kids is this: It gets easier and harder every day. Just as some things are becoming easier, other things are getting harder.

One measure that I use to gauge where we are at on the easy/hard scale is how our trips to the library go. I rarely take all three kids to the library by myself. I think it has happened three times since Timber was born and each time was very different from the others. It had been a while, so we decided to go to the library today. My primary reason for vising the library was to give some maternity clothes to a former co-worker of mine. She offered to come out to the car to get them, but I had already promised library books to the kids. So......Library, prepare yourself for the Borkert circus! At least they had advance warning!

So, we talked in the car about library manners and I promised suckers if they were quiet, stayed with me, and didn't pull books off the shelf. Yes, ironically, one of my library rules is No Touching the Books. It's just better that way. Trust me....I have a Masters in this stuff after all. Deep breath.....and here we go.

First of all, just getting out of the car and into the library is an event. What should take 30 seconds takes us about five minutes. Park car, unlock doors, get out stroller, put Timber's carseat into stroller, put Scout into stroller, hang book bag and bag of clothes on stroller handles, put keys in stroller cupholder, put wallet in stroller pocket, get Flora out of the car and make sure she is holding onto the stroller, lock doors, close all doors, go.

Timber started crying before we were even inside. He doesn't like being in his carseat when he thinks there are things to see. Once I got him out he was Mr. Happy and smiled at all my friends at the library. So, within two minutes of being inside the library I had a huge double stroller with carseat attached and no kids riding in it. Next time, I may just nix the stroller altogether. I think carrying Timber and managing Flora and Scout would be much easier without having to push an empty stroller around too.

Flora and Scout were surprisingly well-behaved. They didn't pull whole sections of books off the shelf or make me chase them down the aisles or screech (all things that have happened in the past). So that was good. I was happy. There was one additional library rule that I should have added to our list but, silly me, I didn't think of it ahead of time. Maybe a better mom would have anticipated that Flora would shed her shoes and socks as soon as we got in the door......but I didn't. I'll know next time to add Keep Your Shoes On to the list of library rules.