PISSED

Blog number 398 **** 09 July, 2010

Tuesday I go into the Phoenix library and there's this five year old boy throwing a tantrum. He's slunk on the floor, one arm being held up by his mother, who's trying to get him to stand up but he ain't gonna.

I go back to where my requested book is awaiting me, I pick it up and go up to the counter to check it out. By this time the mother has dragged the tantruming boy to the front doors, but he has escaped and is running back from where he was drug, yelling and screaming. I hold out my arms for him while saying, "Aw what's the matter? Come here."

I expect him to come up short and stop his tantrum because of the shock of a strange adult paying him that much attention. This is usually what happens when I do that, but this time he runs into my arms and I hug him, all the while trying to comfort him. When his mother gets close, I ask her what he wants. She says he wants to check out a book. I tell the boy he can check out my book, but this still doesn't stop his outbursts. I hand him my library card and say, "Here. You can check out my book." He takes the card and throws it up into the air, screaming even louder. The mother drags him away.

That was the best part of that whole episode, the way he took that card and immediately threw it as hard as he could. "Get this dumb thing away from me!" he seemed to be saying.

It is not until the next day that I figure out that what the boy wanted was a particular book. He's going to be a reader, no doubt, having that much passion for a book at that young age.