After school today, I took the kids to Nix Library to feed Will’s continuing space interest and see if we could find anything seasonal. Doing the stop with the kids was a little iffy — right after school they are coming down from a ton of stimulation, want snacks and drinks, and are generally pretty crazy. I had drinks and snacks for them in the car (a daily ritual) and decided to take a chance on the library.
What a surprise — Will could not have been a more perfect child. He was an absolute angel. He followed me around, pointed to books and asked if we could look at them (in a whisper!) before pulling them down, and then, after we collected a few, asked if he could go to a table and look at them. I literally was in complete awe of him.
Before you picture a serene experience, however, consider the “Law of the Conservation of Child Behavior.” This Law states that there must be a constant level of insanity in the lives of all parents. It means that if one child is behaving with utmost grace and poise, the other is pulling off their clothes and beating you on the head. It means that if one child is politely gazing at book shelves in the library, the other is gleefully pulling down all she can. This Law is particularly important to remember when one of those children is Kate. Not that she was disruptive. But she made it clear she wanted to look at books, thank you, and could do it All Her Self.
So Will went to sit and read his books. And, of course, Kate followed. But while Will got his books from the children’s nonfiction section, Kate picked out (as in selectively picked out) books in young adult fiction from the classics turnstile. She climbed up on a chair next to Will, two novels in her hands. I tried to give her a picture book in exchange, but she wanted none of it (as if! didn’t I see her pick these?!) She laid her books on the table, just like Will. And just like Will, “read” them one at a time. Pausing thoughtfully a different points and flipping through others with speed. Her books? Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening.
Shokufeh | 03-Oct-07 at 7:00 am | Permalink
Cute! I’m curious as to what the covers looked like, what caused her to pick those two. The other day MrMan wanted me to read him part of the Dr. Sear’s Baby Book – he was so drawn in by the babies on the cover.
Cold Spaghetti | 03-Oct-07 at 11:08 am | Permalink
The Wharton book had a cover from the movie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Chopin’s book was the penguin classic (I think) cover with the sort of ocean-side painting and silhouette.
Other titles were there that I thought would grab her attention more directly — including the full children’s shelves right there — but she went for those. Sometimes I think I’m just along for the ride.