Goodbye Miss Mary

Yesterday, I took Landon and Sierra to our very last storytime at the library here in Stillwater. Landon and I started going just before Spring Break and we've been every Monday since.

Storytime has been so good for Landon! The routine is the same every week. As the kids walk in, they find their nametag on the wall and put it on the "who's here today" board. Miss Mary always starts with the song The More We Get Together. Next, there are always exactly four stories, each followed by a song or fingerplay. After the kids stretch and wiggle, Miss Mary turns on the filmstrip (which, the kids LOVE). When the lights come back on, it's craft time. Landon does best when he knows what's coming and the storytime routine was just perfect for him!

The first time we went to storytime, Landon had a hard time going in because he thought I was going to leave him like at school. After a time or two, though, he was walking happily in by himself and finding his name. It took about five weeks before he would participate in the songs. He usually likes to sit on my lap rather than on the floor with the other kids, but sometimes he will when there are just a few.

I wish I had a picture of Miss Mary to show you, but I forgot to take my camera with me yesterday. I will tell you, though, that she is the perfect children's librarian. Miss Mary has the most soft and gentle voice and when she reads, you can help but be drawn into the story. She's very patient with wiggly kids, but insists that they behave. Miss Mary says things like "that's wonderful" when the kids show her their artwork, and she means it. I've always thought she reminded me a little of Mrs. Doubtfire.


I think the thing that made the biggest difference at storytime for Landon is that Miss Mary always has a smile and is genuinely happy to see each child who comes in the door. Landon was so used to people expecting him to have problems with behavior. When he went to school, you could see it in the teacher's eyes that they really wished he wasn't there. Miss Mary always has a smile for Landon and when she says "I'm so happy you came to storytime today", she really means it. It makes such a difference in a child's behavior when they know that people are happy to see them.

So, goodbye Miss Mary. We will miss you!