I am a collector of books—ABC books, picture books, holiday books, themed books, newly released books, out of print books, books that have hardly been touched and books that will fall apart if they are touched once more!

Of course, I love children’s books. My personal library contains thousands of them. (I am known to pull out a book for any occasion.)

Feeling low because a friend is not being so kind? I know a story relative to that. Your cat died? Let me read you a story. Curious about shapes or telling time or the moon? Let’s look right in here. Excited about Halloween? Which one do you want to read first?

I’ve always considered my kids lucky because they have access to so many books right in their own home. I took pride in this, in fact, until my husband took our twins on a bike ride to our local library (I really hate to admit that it is only blocks away). When they returned, it was quite clear by their elation that he was THE hero for the day.

They were so proud of their library books, the choices they picked and the whole experience! At that moment, I realized that my children were almost victims of a missed opportunity…and an enriching one at that! I’m a bit ashamed—I have been denying my children the enriching opportunities found at the library!

It made me reflect on all of the great outcomes a visit to the library provides: quality time with a loved one, the ability to excercise personal independence and making choices with each book selection, exploring literature from all genres, understanding the importance of taking care of something that is not yours, learning about responsibility by not misplacing the book and returning it in the same condition it was in at check out time, the management of time and understanding deadlines with return dates, the story-time opportunities it creates after the library visit, the gratification of hearing a story you had picked out, and mostly instilling a purely child centered motivation to read!

Thank goodness for the phrase, “Better late than never!” Library days are some of the happiest days in our house now—and to think, the opportunity that almost slipped away!