A zillion years ago I ran into this issue myself.
Me too, it's amazing how those stories stick in my brain.
When I was 6, my mom gave birth to twins, and so I was sent in by myself to make the library run while my Mom, the twins, and my younger brother waited in the car. I timidly asked the Librarian to direct me to 'the Oz books.'
"Honey, you are too young to read the Oz series"
Me: "They aren't for me, they are for my younger brother! And he's already read a bunch of them!"
"O K then, they are right over there" with great eye-rolling.
I was so proud of my brother for being able to cause such a reaction. And proud of myself for standing up for what we wanted - I didn't dare go back to my mom empty handed at that stage of our lives.
DB and I learned to read about the same time, and I was sure to read those Oz books right after he finished with them. I guess I was an Advocate even then. I know first hand about how siblings provide challenge and reassurance for each other - in my case even younger siblings!
As far as the OP goes, venting is a really important part of parenting that isn't really safe for you to do in the local neighborhood like other moms get to do. So vent away - consider us your virtul bus stop Moms.
When you move from venting to problem solving, I have a few ideas:
Remember that the Librarian is going to get flack from most parents if the child whines that a books is too hard. Not to mention if the subject matter is 'too advanced' for most families. Personally, I find HP1 charming for a 5 year old, but wouldn't be so pleased about HP6 for most of the 5 year olds I know. Each kid is different. Also, it is natural want to protect children from frustration - most ND kids DO get plenty enough of frustration from their daily lives. It's just that ours don't. I did have a little talk with our school librarian so that DS would get free pick, and she was willing after made it clear that I wouldn't complain about the subject matter or the frustration level. It's worth a try...
Love and More Love,
Grinity
