Taking my children to the library, I’m certain, gets me out of Purgatory time. On one particular trip I took only the baby and my two and a half-year-old daughter. Going in and finding books in the kids section is never a problem. If I want to look for a movie in the adult section, I’m just asking for trouble. But leaving, now there’s a disaster waiting to happen.
I did manage to get my daughter to the van while her nose was in a book before she suddenly realized where we were. I thought my ruse was a fit of genius. She then threw a fit of her own. She laid down completely on the ground, kicking and yelling. Her antics are the type where you just have to let them run their course; trying to comfort or coax her into getting up only prolongs the whole process.
So, while I waited her out, I put the baby in the carseat. Then a car drove by, stopped, and backed up. The driver gawked out the window at my daughter then looked around for her parent. I came around from the other side of the van and waved so they could see me and know that my child was not abandoned, though the thought had crossed my mind.
The driver acknowledged me with a nod then drove away…slooowly. I didn’t check but I have no doubt that the car then went down the next aisle at 1 mph to make sure I was doing my job. Or to take down my license number.
Becky, mother of 4
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