Today I took Emily, my soon-to-be five year old, to the library. Ok, I must confess that I have never done this with her. We are avid readers, and she has so many books that we have to keep buying bigger bookshelves. We have always gone to Barne’s and Noble for reading time and, as the whole purpose of reading time, I usually walk out with at least one or two books along with a cup of coffee. But as with all things new, she becomes bored with the same books after a while … and so do I, after reading the same book so many times that she can recite the story from memory. (Her favorite is “If You Give a Pig a Pancake”)
But today I rediscovered the local library. She received her VERY first library card! She signed it herself and then checked out her choice of books, videos and books-on-tape. She felt so grown up and couldn’t wait to bring them home! It was a fantastic activity for me and her to do together. I even got some books for myself … and it was in my budget (Free! Ha!)
When I told my mom I was taking her to the library she reminded me of how much I loved the library. When I was in Jr. High, the local library was only a few blocks from the school, so my mom would let me walk there after school. She would give me a couple of dollars to stop at a convenience store and get a snack, then pick me up when she got off work. I loved it. I would do my homework, and then I would checkout the next book in “The Babysitter Club” series. I saw them today at the library, and suddenly could not wait for Emily to be a little older so I could share them with her.
So my thought for the day is to think of something you loved to do as a child, and share it with your child. It is the simplest of things that will mean so much to them, and you. My husband loves the “Andy Griffith” show. When Emily was about 2, her bedtime was 7:30. Andy Griffith came on at 7pm on TV Land. So their night time routine was to watch Andy Griffith before bed. He would tell her how he used to watch it when he was little, and Grandma and Grandpop watched it when they were little. That routine only lasted a few months, but she still remembers sharing something with him that he did when HE was a little boy.
Hi Angel,
Way to go on getting your site up and running! It’s a very exciting and liberating experience isn’t it? I just wanted to share how this application of sharing with your kids has been so positive in my mommyhood years thus far. I even took the time to find my favorite books that stood out in my memory when I took my daughter to the library. Her favorite show is Bewitched and she thrives on seeing and reading things that I grew up with and loved. I love it because it’s much cleaner and more uplifting that most the garbage available today.
Hugs,
Holly http://www.hollyscorner.com
Aw, I sorta kinda vaguely remember nap time when you let me listen to the tapes. That’s sweet. Also, I laughed out out loud when you said you could not wait to share the baby sitters club books for me. Actually, I’ve read more than half of them from my school library plus 9 on my kindle. I still love to read, and have since I can remember. =)
Love, Emily age 10 (9 days till 11)