Library Hot Laps

            On a particularly lovely October day my boys had the day off from school, conferences you know. We hung out at home for a while and then decided to go to our local library as I am a huge reader and there is a wonderful children’s section and I can read to the boys there as well. It’s fun, usually. We got to the library and started to investigate what was new and happening. It happened to be Homecoming for the local school and we had time to see the parade that was starting within the hour. We didn’t make the parade. The boys and I spent some time in the kids section looking at books, doing puzzles and just enjoying ourselves. Alex was wandering around in another section and just being his quiet, good-natured self. After a bit I decide that I want to look around for myself and take the boys with me to the upper level. They decide that running would be a good idea. It wasn’t. I caught up with them and scolded them. They know how to behave. We move along. Then I see one is climbing up on a chair and jumps before I can register my library appropriate freak out. I have it out with them again and threaten that if they don’t behave and obey the rules of the library we are going to leave and miss the parade. This, I thought, would work. Next thing I know, I’ve lost track of the little track stars, they are off and running again. At this, I am fuming and have lost the ability to care about the parade and the candy that my kids would catch and that I would ultimately consume. I have them each by the hand and collect Alex and we leave the building. As I am getting them into the van Drew tells me that he had a great time seeing all the cool things at the library and that the only way to see all the cool things is to run. Sorry? He says that since there are so many things to see and the library is so big you have to run through it to actually see all of it. This kid is good. He knows I am ready to blow my top and before I do he thinks that he can explain away his and his twins’ bad behavior as a necessary thing to see cool and intellectual stuff. It, of course, doesn’t fly. As we are driving away Drew asks if I want to go to the parade and take Alex with me. I tell him that I can’t do that. That it is because of Adam’s and his hot laps around the library and their repeated refusal to listen that we are leaving and that I have to keep the two of them with me since they are so young. He explains that he would like me to go to the parade and to take Alex, that we would have a good time. I agree that Alex deserves to go but that that is an impossibility. I wonder where we are going with this conversation so I keep playing along. Then he gets to the heart of this. I could take Alex to the parade and he and Adam would come along only so that they could be safe and stay with me so that I could watch them and then I would also be able to see the parade. That was some clever thinking and quick too. I go back and forth about what I think my sons will be one day but somehow defense attorney always squeezes in there, for both of them.