I love it!! lol Looks my Ethan when we take a trip to the library-he's 2 years old as well!

Libraries -are- fun!

What a great image, this is how we want our children to see libraries, not as stuffy old buildings with old people being quiet. Let's show them that they can be fun!

OpenAppleDad

Oh, my gosh! I just LOVE this picture!!! There is nothing like seeing the excitement in their faces. It's great to see she loves books!

Hey, being excited about the library and books? There is NOTHING wrong with that! That's what the children's area is for!

She looks sooooooo happy!

I'm with all of you on this one. I have no kids yet but this puts a smile on my face! And I love all the colors in this one.

Jessica's Photo Life

the colors are great. but my favorite part is that neither of her feet are touching the ground. awesome picture!

She's so pleased that she is levitating. Wow!

Ben, you really need to put some of these wonderful pictures on snapfish.com and make a book out of them. (with captions) They do a great job!
Jessica's Photo Life

THAT is an awesome shot! Does Trixie pose or cooperate for these or is it just skill, luck, and lots of exposures?

What a great ad this would make for a (public) library! Awesome shot, I wish I could capture my son's excitement as well.

I have been visiting this site for a while now and for the most part I enjoy it, but this picture and the comments merit comment. As a child I was taught that libraries are places where you are quiet in consideration of others who are reading or are trying to study. This hasn't harmed me in any way and I am able to enjoy the library while remaining considerate of others. I can see Trixie's enthusiasm and I think it's great but perhaps another venue would be more appropriate.

Oh Tina, she is still only a child, and you cannot expect her to understand all the rules of society yet. The sheer fact that she is loving the library should be enough! I have a 2 year old, and have taken her to the bookstore, which she loves, and have left to mean looks when she starts being too loud. I left though, and she is only 2. I think Trixie is a doll, and a perfectly normal child, if you took her to the library and she never made a peep I would be worried!

I'm not blaming the child and if you'll re-read my post, you will see that I do appreciate her enthusiasm for reading. However, it's the responsibility of the parent to teach the child how to act in society and to be considerate of others. To me and I'm sure to most others, bookstores and libraries are places where a certain level of quiet is expected. I applaud you for realizing that and taking your 2 year old out of the bookstore when you realized she was being too loud.

Before the comments spiral into a bad place, I want to point out that's why this photo was captioned "The wrong way".

Sorry, Ben. I can't help it.
To Tina:
I think you're being a little ridiculous with your comments. There's a reason why the children's section is on one side or as far in the back of the store as possible. I think Trixie was just behaving like most expect a two-year old to behave. Do you have any children? Some people are just too uptight to appreciate the joy the little things in life bring to children; the things adults tend to brush off. Just let her be a happy little girl and keep those negative comments to yourself.

I was delighted to see Trixie running down the aisle. (I was afraid the 'wrong way' was going to be a heap of books knocked onto the floor or a bookcase knocked over---I'm a mother of boys!) What a joyful picture! She is growing up before our eyes.

Gosh, I hope Tina isn't anywhere near our local library. They LOVE having children there and have a ton of children's programs. And I LOVE the fact that they encourage children to visit the library. What a great habit to start at such an early age!

Wow! How adorable she is...it reminds me exactly why I avoid the library.

This will be my last comment and visit to this site...

You all are right, god forbid that one of the villagers says anything about your children's behavior (really all the villagers are good for is subsidizing your choice). It's unfortunate to hear that your library has turned into a free daycare. I'm sure the librarians and other patrons are thrilled. I know I have to avoid the library during certain hours if I want to actually read or think there because the library has turned into a daycare. What a concept, right?

What's bad is that I am getting so used to kids screaming everywhere they go that one could be being kidnapped or hurt and I wouldn't know the difference.

Not that it makes any difference, I don't have children. However, I do have common sense and consideration for others (and will speak out when I believe this isn't reciprocated).

Well Ben, there goes your plan for keeping the comments from going to a bad place.

Here's my two cents though: I used to be a Nanny to four children, ages newborn through six years old, and a trip to the Library was always a highlight in our week. I used to lug back (no lie) 25 lbs of books every week. We had a rule though...In the adult library, where we had to initially go through, there was to be no running or yelling; everyone had to be polite and well behaved (the newborn was the only exception to this lol). Once we got in the Children's Library though, all bets were off, unless they were having Reading Time in the back room, and even that was negotiable.

I have found that most towns have a Kids section of the library that is far removed from the rest of it. The really smart ones put the Kids room in a whole other wing so no one is disturbed. If that's the case, I don't see the problem with having her run amuck--even though it's good you've titled this "the wrong way" because we know she's being taught to be a big girl and use proper library etiquette. But Tina has a point, if the library doesn't have a child's section, children running willy nilly and screaming is VERY distracting and inappropriate.

But seriously, if it's the kid's section and the librarians are cool with it (as the librarians in my old library always were....they always seemed thrilled to see the kids; well, as thrilled as anyone can be with two dozen youngins running around) then let her run amuck! If she has fun the library as a child, it'll be a place she wantsto visit when she's older.

Tina, I hope for your sake and all of society's sake that you DON'T ever have children. My favorite memories are of going to the library as a child and reading anything I could put my hands on. My love of reading has helped me become successful in my academics as well as helped me become a well rounded, well read individual. If all librarians and patrons were as uptight as you when I was a kid, I wouldn't have felt welcome at the library, thus perhaps making me dislike reading. If you need a quiet place to study or read, go home. Libraries are for exploration, not discipline.

Hi, new to posting, although I have been checking out the website quite often! I have 15 month old twin sons, and they do behave, ahem, rambunctiously in the library lol. I do take them to get a book to read, and they do love to run and laugh, but we do try to make our walk through the adult section fast and as quiet as possible, I am sure most people would understand if you were just passing by to get to the childrens section. I happen to love this picture, its filled with joy and excitement! Although it is captioned "the wrong way", and Trixie seems to just be letting off a bit of energy like any child would right? And its the childrens section (I am pretty sure) so she can have as much fun as she likes (I personally dont know why anyone would visit that relm of the library if in search for peace and quiet?)

(By Tina) "However, it's the responsibility of the parent to teach the child how to act in society and to be considerate of others." Well, you dont have any chlidren, but most toddlers cannot be told straight out "quiet in the library, no running, just walk and whisper" and be expected to perform perfectly. The library is divided so that children (and yes, even toddlers) can enjoy the wonders of reading and learning. I am sorry that you feel that people were being rude to you in some way, but I honestly do not think its Bens fault (it seemed like you were blaming the parents in your posts, you said because it wasnt Trixie's fault). I also hope that one day you will appreciate the joy of childrens noise, and maybe one day you will realize that children arent children for so long. And one last thing, this sort of rubbed me the wrong way how you said "the library has turned into a daycare. What a concept, right?", no a daycare is somewhere that you drop your child off to be watched while you are incapable of doing so. The library (atleast in the childrens section) is a place where parents bring their children to read, and to have fun with the other children and activities they have. I really do hope you will reconsider your veiws on children and the way they behave, but other wise, Ben you are such a skilled photographer and father, Trixie is amazingly adorable and I love the action shots. Keep up the good work!

Why is this picture titled The Wrong Way?!

hmmm. i remember reading about this topic in the Dear Abby column. I guess this librarian wrote Dear Abby "rules" for children.
Long story short, her letter received a lot of feedback..anyways,
Trixie, you are so cute here!
It is so cute how she is not touching the ground with her feet!
Great picture!

Big deal. Libraries aren't what they used to be. As a future children's librarian, I say let her have fun. She'll always associate libraries with fun, and not with "shushing."

Wow. I guess a picture really IS worth a thousand words! I have always loved the library and I'm glad that Trixie seems to also.

everyone understands that libraries are supposed to be quiet places - we get that - and everyone should understand that in a childrens section there might be children (crazy i know) that are still learning that little bit of information...

for those of you that didn't notice though, yesterday's picture was "the right way" - to balance today's "wrong way" to act in a library... trixie's just learning, like every little kid should :)

Ben; I'm sure you ignore people like Tina, and it is best you do.
Tina; Get a life.

Tina,
These are exactly the kinds of things I said before I had kids... Someday yours will be running down the aisle screaming. When you see the "look" on a non-parent face, think of this pic again...

I remember a night waaaay back when I was doing an all-nighter study session in the university library. At about 2:00 AM someone let out a Tarzan yell! Everyone was startled back to 'the real world' and then there was a chorus of whoops and hollers from the stacks. Most of us got up and stretched and laughed for a few minutes before we settled back into study. It still makes me smile after nearly 40 years. Thanks for stimulating the happy memory, Ben!

well we definatly can tell the comments from parents and nonparents, now cant we? all parents know that to tell a toddler 'shhhh' every two minutes will eventually result in tears of frustration. and then you have to deal with the child's reaction. lol. as a mother of a high energy 20 month old boy, i can totally relate to this picture. it does my heart good to see other children so excited. aiden can barely control his enthusiasm when we enter the library, used bookstore, borders, etc. he gets the same look on his face. all you can do is attempt to contain the noise while allowing them to enjoy the books. for us this means using 'inside voices'...or atleast trying. when you get that scowl from other patrons, apologize and move on. they forget that they were once young too...and no different then our children.

I'm not a parent. *waits for the booing and stoning to stop* Hope to be one someday. Not all childless people have forgotten what it's like to be young. We're not criticizing kids for whooping and hollering on the last day of school or on a playground you know.

When my friends and I were kids (not so long ago), we were taught to be quiet in libraries. Even when in the children's section. I'll teach my own kids that too, as a courtesy to the other patrons (adults and kids alike) who are trying to read and work.

Trixie is adorable in this picture...yet I nod in agreement that the title is quite accurate.

Rock on, Trixie.

I personally love to read, and a lot of it has to do with betsy. Betsy was the librarian in the children's section of our town library when I was little. I always felt that I could be myself in the library and maybe that's what led to my love of reading. I have found this entire discussion to be disgusting. Those of you who believe that libraries shouldn't be fun ought to listen to a recent edition of this american life on thislife.org, which follows a rock band recruited to make michigan's library's seem fun to kids, to prove that libraries are only not about "ssshhh". I know so many kids/adults who hate to read and have heard so many stories about schools that can't even afford to buy their kids books. In my opinion, our libraries can't afford NOT to accomodate the needs of children. The library should be a haven, not a punishment for children.

I love this photo! Great colors & love that her feet are not touching the ground. Her face really has an expression of joy on it. One of my favorite TPOD.

Tina: As a mom who regularly frequents storytime, I can tell you the children's rooms of today (often called young people's libraries) are not the quiet places places of our youth. And this change has been initiated by the librarians, not parents of unattended children. At our library, storytime is held in the middle of the room - next to the librarians' desks - and in addition to reading, there is lots of singing, dancing, and wiggling. The librarians do a wonderful job nurturing a love of reading and learning, while accomodating the little kids limited attention spans. Storytime is a highlight of our week.

Ben: LOVE the photo! I'm very impressed at your ability to capture Trixie's face - I usually get the back of a head or an extreme closeup. Anna's favorite thing these days is to see the image in the LCD display - usually before I've managed to press the shutter release.

Maybe Tina would have liked to express her opinion without coming under attack. I wouldn't want to comment either.

Poor Tina!!! Give the girl a break!

heeheehee! I'm childless too but I actually was thinking about becoming a children's librarian (excuse spelling I'm tired) because it seems so fun to be able to read to a large group of kids and get them so excited. Even tho I don't have kids they make me smile when they do something goofy or whatever. I guess its because I'm still a huge kid.

Some of us understand even tho we don't have em at home. Kids will be kids.

Wow, I come back after taking a few days off for vacation and just look at all the excitement caused by this picture! Personally, I love it! Libraries should be fun and encourage kids to read. Reading groups are a good idea. They had them at our public library when I was a kid. I applaud Ben/Jenn for introducing Trixie to books & the library at an early age.

Not to cause another wave of comments, but I think (some) libraries can be TOO quiet (and cold...I've never figured out that one...). I could never study at the University Library b/c it was TOO quiet. I would end up falling asleep on my open book. And drool leaves watermarks on the pages. I prefer a little ambiance when I work/study. An occasional shout out of glee from a child is understandable. I’m sure if Trixie threw a tantrum (even adorable toddlers are prone to them every now and then). Ben would have made her walk back to the car, drive directly home (not stopping to collecting $200) and go straight to her room...without lunch.

P.S. Had a wonderful vacation, but missed checking the TPOD's.

Lol lil ppl

I've been following this site for over a year now (my baby is 10 months old), and this is the first time I've ever commented. While I have loved watching Trixie grow up, it would never, ever occur to me to send a critical comment to Ben or Jen. Tina needs to go away and get a life. This isn't a public forum - it's one family's personal website that happens to have an incredible audience. I feel really grateful that I'm allowed to follow along. If you don't like their parenting, or anything else on the site, go away. Easy.

I just stumbled on this site!!!!!!!!!!
Cool, I have the same name as Trixie. Everybody
always called me Trixie,too.
I have a 9, Ernestine and I need disipline suggestions,
she behaves terribly! Please help! Tina is nuts.

Tina's internet is better than mine, since in my picture Trixie is silent and static. But then apparently everything about Tina is better than anyone I know.

Funny story: My mom was a librarian, and I was taught to be properly reverential towards books. And sometimes I was. But nothing makes her happier than when someone gets excited about books. It's okay to let out a little "Whoop!" occasionally. I think my mom would suggest Tina get a rectal broom-stick-ectomy, except she uses more colorful language because she was a Leatherneck.

Irony of all ironies here folks, I just accepted a position at a library and am considering having a child one of these years. Society and Valerie will just have to deal if I decide to have children. I will, however, try to keep some level of civility and consideration in public spaces.

Not feeling like I was being attacked for my comments would have required maturity and an open mind and not everyone has that all of the time. I apologize for having bit back when attacked.

Tina: Thanks for stopping back by. I wish you good luck at the new job.

Thank you Benmac!