Growing up in San Mateo, California, I distinctly remember the childhood milestone of being able to walk ALL the way from our house to the library down on Hillsdale Boulevard without my mom having to push me in the stroller for any part of the journey.
My mother used to walk us to the library all the time, a cute little building with big windows, lots of plants and the cutest children's reading room ever. This journey is still one of my earliest memories and before I even knew it, I started that tradition of walking to the library with my children when we moved to Evanston. (We used to walk to our library in El Paso but too infrequently to call it a habit.)
These days we walk to the library every week, each child in charge of their own late fees and library card, to pick up weekly reading. The staff is lovely, the facility is always clean and my children look forward to it.
It's also important to point out that we usually follow the library visit with a trip to Andy's Custard just up the street which probably guarantees my children are willing to go.
When we first arrived last summer, we would visit the library just for something to do and now we go because we are library patrons and readers and residents of Evanston. It's a new tradition, one that we do weekly, and I will lead the charge of making sure it sticks, like custard to a child's face.
Update: After I posted this, I sent it along to my mother, who emailed this reply, which was too cute not to share; When you were still in a stroller Karen, Denise, and I would walk to the library pushing you along. We would fill up the basket on the back of the stroller and with your sneaky little hands, you would toss a couple of books out quite frequently. It was a long hike home, but we perservered every Saturday! Congrats to you and the Boys
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Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni
Go Lisa! I wish every parent would take their children to the library. Too often, I see parents let Wii be the babysitter so they don't have to pay much attention to their kids. Reading opens up an imagination that no visual media can touch.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your mom's story! She sounds like an awesome woman.
I didn't know we shared this cute tradition together! I used to go every saturday with my mom too! :) although we had to drive out in farm country:), either way, I looked forward to it alllll week and the donut from the bakery afterward. Now time for me to disconnect cable and Ipads to get these kids reading!!!!!!! maybe if we go with you next time it will help my anti electronics campaign! :)
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