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Sort of O/T -- childhood confidence

Merry's picture

Submitted by Merry on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 8:52am

I've had a vivid and very pleasant childhood memory stick with me the last couple of days. So I told DH about it.

ME: Going to the library as a child was a very much anticipated and happy event for me. When I was 6 I was old enough to get my very own library card. (I'm in my 50s, so this was a paper application form and a paper card.) My Mom and I approached the library counter, and the librarian handed us a form to fill out. I looked at my Mom, and she told me to fill it out myself. Ok. We'd worked on knowing my name and address when I went to kindergarten, so I was not totally at sea. I got the name part right. And I knew my street address. But the city. Wow, we lived in a city with a long name and complicated spelling (for a 6 year old especially). I asked my mom for help spelling it. "Well, Merry," she said, "if you can't spell the name of the city then maybe you're not old enough for a library card."

DH interrupts: That's AWFUL.
ME: ???
DH: Making a little kid spell a hard word like that.
ME: Oh, NO, DH, quite the contrary. I concentrated really hard, sounded out the word, figured out the one or two hard spots. I got it right! My very patient mother and the very patient librarian smiled at me! I got my card! And I got to check out three books! What a great sense of accomplishment I had. What a nice gift from my mother that cost no money. It was an early demonstration of reward for hard work, for reaching a goal, for using one's brain.
DH: (crickets)

I wish I would have done more of that with my own kids. DH--well if he can do something for his kids he does it. Makes HIM feel good. Cripples the kids though.

I talked to my Mom last night. she's elderly but still mentally sharp. She doesn't remember the library event in particular, but she said her job in raising us was to make us independent and successful (and get out of the house). THAT is parental love, folks.

Comments

tryingmom's picture

Submitted by tryingmom on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 9:45am

Aaaarrrrggghhhh....is there anything worse than being raised by teachers??? Both of mine were teachers. LOL. My Mom used to do the "look in the dictionary" when I asked how to spell something, I'd always tell her "if I don't know how to spell it, how am I to look it up?" She'd smile and then walk away. I guess they helped me to love language. My mother used to tell me to strive to be verbose. LOL

tryingmom's picture

Submitted by tryingmom on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 9:42am

This thread made me think of finding my childhood library card recently. Orange card stock with a little metal plate on it, in a little manila envelope that they'd use to stamp upon checkout. They closed the old library down a few years ago and built a beautiful new one in my home town. I was sad to learn this, it was a place of great memories for me. I LOVE books!!

I have a library card in my city now, but it just isn't the same, it's a little card on my keychain like all the grocery store discount cards. Everything at the library is automated and you rarely get to even see the librarian. :?

Drac0's picture

Submitted by Drac0 on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 9:57am

Library card carrier here as well.

Going to the libary once a week with my Mom was a huge treat for me too when I was little. I plan on taking my kids too once they are old enough.

When we discovered SS had ADHD, I took DW to the library and we took out all the books we could find on the subject. I love our city's library!