The other day Rain wanted to go for a walk. I agreed--we had been cooped up in the house and needed to get out. So, I was putting coats and shoes on, and then there were diapers to be changed, etc. While changing Rain's diaper, I was making up a song trying to distract her long enough to get the job done. (make up any tune you want . . . I did)
Goin' for a walk
What do you think we'll see?
What do you think we'll see?
Maybe we'll see a bird
Now all bundled up, we headed out the door. But what should we come upon as soon as we opened the front gate, fluttering around helplessly on the driveway . . . but a bird. Of course, Rain's new thing is to "hode it". I tried to catch it and put the poor thing out of its misery. It must have flown into the side of our house. After catching it, Rain held it "carefully" while I tried to decide how to deal with it humanely and without breaking Rain's heart. She absolutely loved it and named all its parts.
Thankfully Nature ran its course, very quickly, and the bird died while she was holding it. But it went on our walk around the entire neighborhood.
Unfortunately, after the walk was over, Rain STILL didn't want to relinquish her newfound friend. I said she could hold it as long as she stayed outside. This would have been fine-- except she stepped in a big mud puddle in yard and started crying because she was dirty. (I don't know how I could have a child that dislikes being dirty so much.) So, I had to strip her outside, pry the lifeless bird out of her hands, and put her directly into the tub. She didn't stop screaming about her bird for at least a half hour. At bedtime, she finally consoled herself with the fact that it was dark outside and the bird "went night-night."
