I've been officially homeschooling for 5 years now and have been visiting the library with my children since my oldest was a baby. He is now 10, soon to be 11. In all this time of book checkouts and library visits, I never knew there was a limit placed on how many books you can check out. At one point I even asked and was told there was not a limit unless it was a special holiday book display. Then, today happened!
We trekked to the library today with all 3 children in tow and me really just wanting to do nothing more than return some books that were due and could not be renewed. But, being the book-loving homeschool family that we have become, of course my children wanted to check out some books. Some books turned into two bags filled with books. But, this is not unusual for us. What was unusual is that we were attempting to check out two bags filled with books but had not returned the equal amount as per usual. When we got to the checkout, after several books were successfully checked out, the librarian stopped and gasped, "Oh! You've reached your limit!" "Limit?" I asked. To which she explained that there is a 100 item limit. Who knew this? Did you know this? I did not until I was left standing in front of a librarian with several books yet to be checked out which now could not because of this limit I had reached.
Frantically, I began thumbing through the books for the one book my 4 year old had to have and then began handing her back books that I was quickly deciding we really did not need. As I stood there wondering how we could possibly have 100 books checked out. Before I had left that morning, I weeded through the books that were due, pulling out others that we would keep. The total left at my house only amounted to about 20 books. How could I have 100 books out? Something must have been wrong. She must have been mistaken.
But, no! When we returned home, my children ran into their rooms and began pulling out library books. So far, the count is only about 13 short of the 100 total. How did this happen? We really have 100 books in our house that belong to the library?
I left the library frustrated, in disbelief and almost angry. I arrived home to discover we truly do have 100 items checked out. Now, I somehow feel as though I have attained a badge of homeschooling honor. With all these books, we should be learning a bunch. "should be!" I hope we really are. And, now I will wear my newly awarded homeschool badge of honor proudly because I have attained a much deeper accomplishment today. See, as a child myself I hated to read. I really never completed a "real" book until my 10th grade year when I read Huckleberry Finn. So, when I had children, I was determined that they would not have this dislike for books as I had, so I began when they were babies and introduced them to books and to the library. Today, I feel like something I have chosen to do as a homeschooling parent was successful!
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