Leaving the Library

It's 3 o'clock in the morning and I just noticed my pants are on inside out and yet I sit here determined to write a blog. Pray for me ladies.

Being a very noticeably pregnant mother of four we get some attention when we are out and about. Getting comments here and there. Children are not the favored fashion accessory these days. More people aren't having them and many do not like to see them out in public. Especially when the family begins to resemble some type of field trip or daycare.

I was in our local library with my four kids and my youngest decides to act out. I pick her up and hold her as opposed to having her climb the shelves. Upon picking her up a fit broke out. At this point I'm thinking, wow, I better get out of here.

My other children were sitting at tables and looking at books. Said toddler was the only one misbehaving. I had to find one more book for one of my sons to check out. Which wasn't too hard because I had just picked up a book to look over when the fit began. Then, a tap, tap, tap on my shoulder.

"Excuse me miss. You really need to take your child and go. This is a library and she is being too loud," says a man I've never seen in my life.

"What!? I'm doing the best I can. I have four children here. Can you just cut me a break?"
says me, almost on the verge of tears and holding it back with all my unhealthy pride.

"Well this is a library and...."

"Wait a minute." I interrupt. "Do you even work here?"

Needless to say, he didn't. That's right, some random stranger had taken it upon himself to ask me to leave when the librarian denied his request to do so.

It was a frustrating evening and I felt a little peeved after the whole episode . I mean, after all, who did that man think he was? Then I remembered my kids were seeing all this unfold. How should I continue to react?

I wasn't rude to the man. I was firm, telling him I would leave after I found my book. After all, I hadn't planned on staying much longer. I didn't want to deal with a crying toddler as much as he didn't want to listen to one. I was barely handling this all in front of the watchful eyes of my three older ones.

I decided that I wanted family, our family, to prevail. People can say what they choose, but how I deal with it affects how my children view people and our family as a whole. After leaving, I calmed down, and we talked about how we should probably have sympathy for a man that cannot have empathy for women and children. In the end my oldest suggested we say a little prayer for him.

The lesson learned for me: I cannot control what others say to me or about me in front of my children. I can however, control the kind of impact it has on us. Now, I just feel sorry for that man and the childless world he chooses to live in.

copyright 2009