Earlier today, I wish I'd had my camera to immortalize something that happened at the library. But memory will have to do...
Rich had to tutor today at our local library. We got a later start than we'd planned and I had to drop him off before I could run another errand and come back for our own book search. Since Rich was busy when I got back, I had to keep an eye on the boys. Pete was being a three year old and only wanting to do what he wanted to do - which meant sitting in the children's section. Great for him, not so great for me when I had two books to pick up that had been on hold and two more that I'd wanted to grab as well. So I asked Teddy to keep an eye on him.
I wasn't too worried about it because Rich was just one table over and everyone in the library knows our boys. I had to make a quick run to pick up the two from hold, then over a couple shelves for the other two I wanted. Five minutes max and I'd still be fairly close.
I grabbed the books as quickly as I could and came back to hear Teddy talking. I stopped to listen. He was reading aloud. When I looked around the corner, he and Pete were seated next to each other on the kids chairs and Teddy was reading "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow" to his little brother. And Pete was listening with rapt attention.
I asked the boys if they wanted to check out and Teddy looked up. "Can I finish the story first, Mommy?" It made my heart soar. I gave him permission and went over a few rows (so I could still see where they were) to grab an audio book.
I love that my boys love books. And I love even more that they share books with one another. In a few years, Pete won't need Teddy to read to him. But at that time, we can start sharing longer stories as a family. It's something I hope never ends.
And a lot less fun than the other options.
