Goodbye, Grasshopper
Last evening was the night of release for my 4 year old daughter's (at the moment) dearest pet, Grasshopper. It was a sad and momentous occasion. At least in the eyes of my daughter. It was a lesson for her in doing something you don't want to do for the betterment of someone else. Let me start at the beginning.
3 days ago, my daughter comes in the house proudly displaying in her bug container a rather large grasshopper. In case you've forgotten or didn't read my phobia blog, I am terrified of bugs. And grasshoppers, which can jump and land in your hair, definitely fall into the category of bugs. I've managed to pass on my fear to my daughter to some degree so I'm mildly surprised that she caught a bug in the first place. Not wanting to add to the fear of bugs in my daughter, and given that this bug is securely contained in a bona fide bug container, I calmly fake interest in her captive.
Then she states her intentions to keep it.
As a pet.
A bug pet.
Ok. Deep breath. Bug pet. In my house. Deep breath.
I check the security of the bug container and tell her she can keep it for a while to show her friends. Delight lights up her face and with a big grin she informs he his name is Grasshopper. Original.
The next day I tell her that she should release Grasshopper so he doesn't die. She looks at me like I've grown an extra head. "He won't die" she informs me. She carries Grasshopper with her everywhere. She introduces him to her friends, who I'm sure are envious and who's mothers, I am equally sure, are not.
Last evening, my husband backs me up to explain to my 4 year old that if not released, Grasshopper will surely die. My daughter does not want to let him go, but neither does she want him to die. Decision made, she walks out into the back yard and releases her pet. She comes back in with tears streaking down her face, mourning her loss. It's a difficult lesson. As the sun goes down we talk about how happy Grasshopper is right now to be free. My daughter thinks his family is probably happy to see him. I give her a big hug and we go inside.
3 days ago, my daughter comes in the house proudly displaying in her bug container a rather large grasshopper. In case you've forgotten or didn't read my phobia blog, I am terrified of bugs. And grasshoppers, which can jump and land in your hair, definitely fall into the category of bugs. I've managed to pass on my fear to my daughter to some degree so I'm mildly surprised that she caught a bug in the first place. Not wanting to add to the fear of bugs in my daughter, and given that this bug is securely contained in a bona fide bug container, I calmly fake interest in her captive.
Then she states her intentions to keep it.
As a pet.
A bug pet.
Ok. Deep breath. Bug pet. In my house. Deep breath.
I check the security of the bug container and tell her she can keep it for a while to show her friends. Delight lights up her face and with a big grin she informs he his name is Grasshopper. Original.
The next day I tell her that she should release Grasshopper so he doesn't die. She looks at me like I've grown an extra head. "He won't die" she informs me. She carries Grasshopper with her everywhere. She introduces him to her friends, who I'm sure are envious and who's mothers, I am equally sure, are not.
Last evening, my husband backs me up to explain to my 4 year old that if not released, Grasshopper will surely die. My daughter does not want to let him go, but neither does she want him to die. Decision made, she walks out into the back yard and releases her pet. She comes back in with tears streaking down her face, mourning her loss. It's a difficult lesson. As the sun goes down we talk about how happy Grasshopper is right now to be free. My daughter thinks his family is probably happy to see him. I give her a big hug and we go inside.
posted by SonSon at 7:04 AM
6 Comments:
Being 4 must be difficult, although being 31 is no walk in the park. I agree...you handled it like a pro!!!!
That's an beautiful story, with lessons learned by both you and your daughter: you briefly overcame a fear for her and she learned a lesson about love and freedom.
Thanks for sharing
With any luck, her next pet might be a worm.
Ahhh, what a sweet story. You know you can get terrariums and put newts and other creepy crawlies in them. That's what my boys did when they were younger. The horrid little beasts kept escaping and then camoflaging in my dirty laundry. EEEW. The newts had to go. But you might enjoy them more than me. You know, aversion therapy. LOL Thanks for the B'day wishes.
If you love something set it free. If it hops and slithers back. . .
Nice post.
Awww, that must've been difficult for her. Poor thing!
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