We were at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, in Cherry Creek, Colorado. It is a three story bookstore that sits on 1/2 a block. It was crowded, even for as big as it was...
That is when I spotted a mother and child sitting in the Children's area. You could tell it was a weekly outing for the two. There they were snuggled up with a book. They were not rushing around madly looking at the wide array of children’s books that filled a whole floor. We were in awe at the thousands of books that filled just the children’s area. But, there the two sat content with just reading 1 book. Oh, yes, there was a small stack next to them. Books that they would read and a small pile of books they had gone through. They didn’t look like they were going to buy any of them, but they were thoroughly enjoying the ones they held at the moment.
The mother knew the store. She had been there many times. They knew where the chapter books were, where the new arrivals were, and they knew where their favorites sat on the shelves. Many times, they were content.
I, on the other hand, was frantic. Where to begin! How in the world could we see everything today? There were so many areas that I wanted to explore. The kids just seemed to slow me down. They wanted to stop and read, I was determined to cover acreage…I wanted to see what was behind every new nook and cranny. It was like a candy store—colors, flavors, etc. How in the world could I decide where to begin or be happy just looking at a few books? I wanted to see all of the displays, fan through the fiction, rummage through the references, search through the sale items, and hunt through the histories.
This bookstore was like going to a museum. You might as well buy the family membership because you will not see everything in one day. Take your time to really enjoy where you are. You will never be able to teach all of the curriculum that you bought and is gathering dust on the bookshelf. Similarly, you will never be able to learn all there is to learn about Ancient Greece. When your child’s interest begins to wane, take the hint! And, smile that you had a taste, learned something, and then, let it go. Promise yourself that you will come back another time, when you have more time to spend, or your child is older and ready for a larger in-depth meal.