Now THAT'S an awful anecdote for sure.

One of the more thrilling events of my not all that distant past was when Little Golden Books opened a new flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan not far from my office. My kid was quite young at the time, and I was buying for both of us, because an Evil Aunt had given away my cartons of childhood books and I wanted to rebuild those shelves so I could enjoy them with my kid.

I was not, before having my (planned and wanted) kid, seen by anyone (including myself) as maternal in any way, but I can't tell you how much I enjoyed sharing and doing all the childhood things with my kid, watching all the old Disney stuff, the Looney Tunes stuff, Shari Lewis redux (now that was a joy of joys), and the people who think babies and toddlers are boring are to me beneath contempt and bereft of imagination.

To not buy books for one's kid!