uh oh

We are regular visitors of our library. We try to go to story time weekly and get new books. We won't be getting new books for a while.

I sent G to his room for a nap the other afternoon. I was on the phone so it was a while before I realized it was very quiet. So I crept up the stairs to see if he had fallen asleep. I peeked in his door and saw him crouched over one of his books on his floor.

A library book.

In itty, bitty, teeny, tiny pieces.

I was so angry and yet I was having a hard time not laughing.

Seriously? Tiny pieces?! Who does that to a book? We always talk about how we have to be gentle with books and we treat them nicely and respectfully or they have to go up high in the closet until he is older. Apparently it didn't sink in.

Better yet.

It was a 'NO DAVID' book. David books are about a boy named David who, you guessed it, is always getting told no.

I told G he was to take money out of his piggy and we were going to go to the library the next day and pay his money to the library for ruining their book.

Next day came and we marched ourselves down there, change in hand (my checkbook poised to pay the difference) and ziplock full of page bits. The librarian was very sweet, trying to act serious as I explained what had happened and as G said he was sorry and offered up his money to *pay* for the book.

She stiffled her giggle looked at him and the book very seriously, noted it was already missing a page and told us it was *okay* this time {I quickly interjected NOT okay} and that THIS time she would not take his money. But...

We had a long talk in the car about how the librarian didn't say it was okay to DO but because he promised not to do it again and he had said he was sorry the library would nicely not take his money THIS time. He is now not allowed books in bed. He is reminded of this lesson daily.

Honestly, I think this is one lesson he will learn.

(As we were about to leave the librarian looks at me and smiles. "I am going to show this to the girls in the back! It really is very cute and funny" she says under her breath. Oy. I am so glad she {mostly} played along. )

ps. blogger is being a booger and REFUSES to post this properly but since its been two weeks since I posted I figured I better get something out there before the natives get restless. So pretty it is not, but hopefully its mildly entertaining.