Library lets mom relent to voracious requests

As much as I try to be positive, on any given day I probably say no two or three times for every time I say yes.

Can I have lemonade instead of milk? No. Can I watch just one cartoon before I get ready for school? No. Can I eat cookies for breakfast? No. Can we go to Japan next week? No. Italy? No.

But the library is where I get to say yes. Can we go to the library again this week? Yes. Can I borrow just two more books? Yes. Three more books? Yes. Eight more books? Yes.

At the library where books are free, how can I say no to my boys who have inherited my passion for reading?

Because of this, between the boys and me, there are dozens of library books in my house on a regular basis: books to be read aloud at bedtime, books to be read alone during quiet morning and evening hours, books to support their latest curiosity, books for that Hawaiian history research project, books to plan our next vacation, books that look like they will take exactly 10 minutes to read to satisfy a second-grade homework requirement.

I never intend to leave the library with such a stash, but with all the necessary noes in life, why not say yes to rereading a favorite Elephant and Piggie book or picking up the latest installments of the nine series my seventh-grader is entrenched in?

When finally we all have a satisfactory stack to sate our reading moods for the week, we head to the librarian, who on two occasions has required a cart to wheel out all the books we have on hold.

At first I feel embarrassed by our massive pile of books, but then I see what has arrived and my embarrassment turns to excitement. My boys and I openly delight at the checkout counter over the books that we requested from other libraries weeks and months ago: the latest Big Nate chronicle; “The Martian”; the newly discovered fifth Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book; “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and a half-dozen other titles.

Guilt-ridden about stripping the library of an entire shelf of books, we make a point to stop by the library on the way to school to return finished books in the after-hours slot as soon as my heavy-duty canvas bag fills.

Miraculously, we manage to keep track of all these books in our chaotic, clutter-filled lives. To date, we have never lost a book. And we have been late only twice.

The only problem with the stacks of books is it sometimes leads to a few more noes at 15 minutes past bedtime.

Will you read me another four books? No. Can I just finish the last three chapters? No.

How’s about I read you one more book while brother finishes the chapter he’s on, then lights out? OK.

“She Speaks” is a weekly column by the women writers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach Donica Kaneshiro at dkaneshiro@staradvertiser.com.