Yesterday, the kiddos and I went to the White Hall (or any) public library for the 1st time! A friend from our amazing Sunday school class met me there with her 3 kids and showed me the ropes. While her 3 and Mags ran into the children's section and peered of rows and rows of  books, Leann and I signed up our kids for the summer book club where you read 10 books with your toddler/preschooler per week to get their name in a drawing and I got my 1st library card. Don't get me wrong, I've used my mom's as a child but after heading to college there was no need, hello- college campus library. After a full card of info, a failed attempt at using my driver's licence as a form or ID/verification of where I live, another failed attempt at using junk mail for verification, and 3 references later, I had my card! After all the paper work the adventure began.
I'd forgotten how much fun a library can be. Endless amounts of books. Shelves of movies. Desks full of computers. My reader (loves to look at and have books read to her), Maggie was in HEAVEN! My non-reader (squirmy worm, look at the book when I feel like it), Izzie loved it because their were bigger kids there, a riser for children to sit and read on (she climbed) and a Giant Clifford dog for hugging! Great place! Angel, my friend's oldest, had been walking Mags up and down the ales of books telling her all about them and showing her just a few favs. I then got to show Maggie her section trying to give a simple explanation of how all of this world of wonder worked. She then got to get a 'shopping' basket from the front desk and select 10 books to check out for the week. What books did she pick you ask? 9 Curious George books and 1 called Aaron's Hair. She has been a huge fan of that "silly little monkey" for a long while now but these books are a little different from the movies and small board books we have at home.
When we got home and began reading them I noticed a basic plot in every one of the CG books- George disobeys the Man in the Yellow hat, makes some really bad choices followed by one good choise, and ends up walking home a hero with no repercussions. WHAT? I'm sorry but that's the opposite of what I'm trying to teach my children day in and day out. If that wasn't snareled-nose enough; Aaron's Hair is about a boy who has hard to manage hair which leads him to one day tell it, "HAIR! I HATE YOU!" HUH? I continued reading after trying to skim past that part attempting to excuse it. The hair jumps off the boy's head and proceeds to run all over town where it tries to grown on other people in random places on their body. Aaron, in an attempt to get his hair back, keeps instructing these individuals, "tell the hair you don't like it" which leads the people to yell, HAIR! I HATE YOU!" When I realized this would be the theme of each encounter I no longer read the words I just quickly went through each page talking about where the hair was going/doing. The only reason I kept reading was to get to the end where there would obviously be a moral...you guessed it- NOPE!
This adventure (which we will continue to journey through despite this rough week of book selection) has taught me once again that no matter how beneficial, fun, memorable an activity with my child it will always demand my discernment as a Christian parent. I let my guard down. This is such a "good" place and reading is such a healthy thing, I thought to myself. You should never expect godly behavior, ideals, or basic lifestyle out of something/someone who is not a Christ follower (and even more scary, some who hold the name Christian). God has entrusted me with these amazing little blessings. I am responsible for what they are exposed to, taught, and even their actions at this age. It's a high calling; with blessings, fun, laughs, miracles, joy, but not without tears, exhaustion, aches, stress, and LOTS of mistakes hopefully followed by learning. We will check out all kinds of books and use each one to have discussions about the chooses, language, attitudes, etc good or bad, that comes up in that time.

A few more pics our our 1st trip to the public library
   

You notice all my pictures of Maggie are slighly blurry right now. Can't get her to slow down.

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