For the Love of Caterpillars!

It's amazing how a wonderful and memorable moment with the boys can go from pure bliss to pure chaos in about 30 seconds..... You would think by now I would be used to this sort flip of the light switch change in emotions but every now and then I am caught off guard by my toddlers. Even the dogs Bruno and Josie seemed unimpressed with my ability to calm them down over the incident with the caterpillars. I have no choice but to document this as I am sure one day I will read back through this and laugh.... Maybe.

So it begins like this, an ordinary day out in the backyard playing with their new sandbox. The air is warm and the breeze is gentle and the caterpillars have emerged from whatever hibernation they were doing and have taken over our back yard. Or at least they did a few days ago. So it didn't seem like it would be that hard to find a caterpillar at the request of my three year old. Evan, my beloved little tender heart. He is so sweet and so thoughtful that when he spotted one lone caterpillar crawling along the deck he announced he had to find the "baby caterpillars Mommy and Daddy." Well sure, we Can do that.....surely there are two other caterpillars around here somewhere.... I mean they are every where right?? So with Ryan in tow and the dogs meandering behind us we set off on a quest around the deck to look for the Mommy and Daddy caterpillars.

IMPOSSIBLE!!! It's like that old saying a watch pot never boils or you won't find love if you are really looking for it or some BS like that... Because for the love of God I was unable to find TWO that's right just TWO little measly caterpillars to complete the family that Evan is now hysterical over since the baby caterpillar is "lonely" Ryan (the smart child that he is has moved on and returned post at the sand box). But Evan, can't seem to let this go (a trait he clearly gets from his father). I get a grip on my teetering emotions at this point and do my best to calm Evan down explaining that the Mommy and Daddy caterpillar are probably taking a nap and we will find them later.

Sob Sob sniff sniff I somehow get him calm enough to get him back to the sandbox for a change in scenery and subject.

I however am on a mission.... MUST FIND CATERPILLAR!!! I later realize that this so called "mission" really was an obsession by my perseverance paid off because roughly 20 minutes later and a few nasty log pile rummages I return to the deck with three yes three caterpillars and announce to the children that I have found the caterpillar and his family. Well, two children came running and sat on the deck next to the caterpillars and we all joined hands and sang Kum Ba ya (well not really but it was sort of that sitting around the camp fire happy go lucky feeling). But most importantly, the boys were happy. So very happy to see these caterpillars and I was glad that I stuck it out. I took a deep breath and basked in my Mommy brilliance. The children are happy. The caterpillars are happy, all is right with the world, I am in complete control.

Enter Bruno ( the 160 lb great dane.)

The rest of the story goes something like this...

• "No...no....sweetheart, the caterpillars are fine, just fine Bruno didn't mean to step on them, they are fine...."



• Attempt to "fluff up" three very dead caterpillars then decide to place them in the grass and explain they are tired and it's time for "night night."



• Sensing that the three year old is on to me, I tuck in the caterpillars with a leaf and then at attempt to distract him with plane flying overhead but met with unamused stare.



• Explain that the yellowish green substance oozing out of two of the caterpillars are "poop" and we should give the caterpillars some privacy.



• lead the children away form the "sleeping" caterpillars and back to the sand box.



• This works for 5 seconds....



• So at this point I decide to turn this into a learning experience and decide to break the news to the kids that Bruno did indeed kill the caterpillars. It was an accident, nothing more and I am sure if Bruno had a conscious he would be very very sorry.

Well, two my surprise, the boys understood this. And it hit me.... Kids aren't stupid. They don't always need Mommy to sugar coat things. I don't quite understand how Evan and Ryan seemed to be okay with this little fact of life but they were and within minutes were back to the sandbox playing as if nothing had ever happened. I have to chuckle to myself because on most days it's me who is teaching them something. But on that day, it was me who learned from them. And I have this feeling it won't be the last time.