What is it about libraries?

Yesterday was one of those days with the kids...the days where everything starts off fine, but by late afternoon they are ready to explode.  Our house starts to feel like a cage and my little sweet ladies begin to take on characteristics of wild animals held captive.  What to do?  What to do?  Time to open the cage doors and run free.  The problem 97 degrees outside.  Too hot to play at the park, so we drive to town, trying to think of something to do, that only takes about half an hour between errands to tame my wild beasts.  A little voice in the back seat of my car has an idea...and it is a good one...the library.  

I don't know about you, but something happens to my heart when I walk into a library.  Surrounded by books, waiting to be checked out.  A world of possibility opens up and my heart begins to smile. 

 I see my little two year old find a book, sit at a table and begin to turn pages. When the book no longer holds her attention, after about 2 minutes of deep reading, she is up wandering.  She finds a stuffed animal in a basket filled with toys and then makes her way to a magnet board just her size with giant letters and begins to move and stick the letters... pure contentment.  My six year old finds a stack of Fancy Nancy books and she catches the same contentment that has overtaken my little one.  We run into good friends and talk about books to read and not to read, as well as movies to watch and not to watch.  My six year old follows her friend over to the movies and picks out a couple of DVDs...Yes, DVDs at the library...  My two year old finds the water fountain soaks her dress and is now ready to return to the hot car...cooled off for the ride home.  

The true magic of the library is just that...A car ride home, pre-dinner, without grumpy, whining children.  No fighting or bickering from the backseat.  No caged animals here, just two little ladies looking out the windows and and letting the wind blow through their hair. 

Peaceful, happy children and new books to read, without spending a dime.  (Ok, so I did have to pay $1.62 for late fees, but don't tell anybody.)   What could be better?