Our own research girl, Milliejupiter, was a scrappy little toddler, a biter, too! Although I enjoyed keeping up with her as a SAH mom, when she was 2ish, I needed something more. So I took a Career Planning class at the Worcester YMCA.
Surprise, surprise, I discovered I was suited to teaching and library work, both of which I had dabbled in. Voila! At the same time, my local small town New England library was looking for a part-time director. I put my hair in a bun, really, I did, borrowed a pretty flowered dress from my friend Maureen, and got the job.
It was a perfect job for a new mom--two blocks from my house, many old dusty books waiting to be weeded--oh, forget it, that's another story. The best perk on the job by far was filling a canvas bag with picture books at the end of my shift. Then I would return home to the cries of "Mama, didja bring me nice books?!" Then we would settle on the couch for a read and cuddle.
A small aside on the topic-I recently asked CollegeBoy aka Boothboy if he remembered all those nights when Dad worked late and we'd sit on our bed with a pile of books, to which he replied, "OH, yeah, I used to hate that."
Flash forward twenty years and Milliejupiter graduates with honors in Anthropology from Syracuse University. She moves home after a brief roommate from hell experience, and accepts a job running the circ desk at a large suburban library. She loves her job and we love sharing "problem patron" stories. However, when she walks in the door after a long day in the trenches and I ask her, "Didja bring me nice books", she just rolls her eyes..........