From the mouths of babes….well, children…well, one child

If you have a pet, particularly a cat or a dog, you may have, by chance, seen them chase their own tails. Our cats did it mainly when they were younger, but that has not stopped other adult cats as well as puppies and dogs. So why do they do it? Most of the time it’s out of fun or boredom. Pets chasing their tail is a game to them, of course, when they bite it, then the game comes to an abrupt stop.  It could also be a form of stress, if it happens too often, but most of the time, it’s harmless.

So. The other day my five-year old son and I walked around the corner to my eight year old daughter’s school bus stop in the afternoon. When we got to the corner I jumped back when I saw a tiny ball of fluff moving around. It was a baby mouse chasing its tail. I pointed it out to my son who said, “Awwww, he is so cute,” to which I told him, dead or alive, baby or not, mice were not cute. My long, drawn out “ewwwwwwwww” was his second clue.

The baby mouse kept turning in circles, frantically chasing that hard, little nasty tail of his. I threw some grass at it just so it would not be in my way for when the bus came, and when he scurried a few feet, both my son and I shrieked a bit.

“See,” I told him, “they are yucky, even if  he is a baby and he is playing with his tail.” I know. Mom of the year.

“Where’s he gonna go?” my son asked.

“Not sure. Guess back to the hole he came from. Maybe his mommy is looking for him.” There we go. Better mom answer.

“What if she can’t find him? What happens to him tonight mommy?”

“He could die, it’s going to be cold, but I am sure he will find his mom.”

“You know what,” my five-year old son, who is not yet in kindergarten and still somewhat untarnished and innocent, said, “We should just step on him!”

“Why?” I gasped.

“That way none of us has to worry about what happens to him.”

Let me tell you, the silence was deafening until my daughter’s school bus FINALLY showed up!

 

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One thought on “From the mouths of babes….well, children…well, one child”

  1. Well, at least your son thinks his problems through and comes up with solutions.

    The key, of course, is the use of “we.” He insisted on shared responsibility, and he was obviously going to ask you to be the mouse murderer.

    Kids, I tell you!

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