One of the things I have learned in my 9 short years of parenting is this...each and every pet is an important member of the family. And I don't necessarily mean to me. But I definitely have learned that every pet that comes into this house is of upmost treasure to my children. Now, keep in mind, I'm not just talking the cat and dog type. Oh, no...I mean every creepy, crawly, furry or not, cold or warm blooded creature that happens to step foot, paw or tail into my home. For instance, at the moment we have a cat named Mocha, a dog named Jack, a turtle named Franklin, approximately 30 tadpoles (of whom are all not named...could you imagine coming up with that many names? And remembering who is who?), a Beta fish named Flash Dash (which I'm amazed is still swimming around, despite it's lack of being fed on a regular basis), 6 caterpillars (3 of which are snuggled tightly in their cacoons...er...I hope that's what they've done as opposed to not crawling in there to die...could be a tragic situation if so...), ant eggs (which I insisted they live on the porch and not in the house), and a pile of slugs (again...I demanded they be "outdoor pets"...). In my girls' minds, each one of these little lives are just as important as anyone else in this family.
So you can imagine the drama that occurred when a caterpillar "fell" (also know as "got dropped") in my van on the way home from the grocery store today. Our little 4 year old decided that "she" (not quite sure how Lexy knows how to tell the gender of caterpillars; but she insists it's a girl) needed to have the experience of going grocery shopping. So, I hesitantly obliged, with several warnings of what might happen if "Katty" went missing at the grocery store. Lexy did a great job of showing her the deli aisle, all the different juices and snacks, and introducing her to all the world has to offer by way of foods. And when it was time for Lexy to snack on her Pop-Tart, she kept a real careful eye on the fuzzy thing while "Katty" sat beside her, plastic home (Tupperware container) and all. Well, little Katty made it through the grocery trip just fine...until the ride home. It was then that tragedy struck. Lexy decided to reward Katty for being so good by taking her out of her container for a nice little "pat". And...accidently dropped her. So I, attempting to be a good mom and all, pulled off the road and then proceeded to search the entire area where Katty may have landed. Without success. I even picked Lexy out of her seat, hoping and praying that she hadn't sat on her precious pet (which would have left her with the trauma of killing her favorite little critter). Still, no caterpillar. So, I decided to proceed home and listened to tears most of the way there. When I turned around to console her, I joyfully discovered why we couldn't find Katty in the van anywhere...when she had fallen, she had landed on Lexy's pant leg. Oh, the indescribable happiness that came from that little 4 year old girl! You would have thought I had brought the dead back to life! (Okay, I must admit, I was pretty happy myself that that whole "tragedy" was over with, and little girl and caterpillar were once again reunited.) It sure feels good every once in a while to be someone's hero...even if that someone is only 4! And yes, Katty seems to have come through the tragedy with no lasting scars or emotional trauma. Come to think of it...where is she now? I just may have to go find that out...
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