Coyotes and Werewolves
This week the weather has been milder (mid-40s) and it is staying light a little longer, so I have been taking the boys on walks when we get home. Nothing big - just a loop around the development with Sydney.
This is a bit of a process, but we make it work. I keep the boys dressed (coats, hats, shoes), run inside and get Sydney, slip Ryan into the sling, and away we go. We have a leash with two handles so Colin takes his, I take mine, and off we go!
When we get to any street Colin will stop on the last sidewalk square and say "annnnnd weeeeee.... STOP!" (yes, brainwashing does work). I then check for cars, and if none are coming our little herd continues across the street. Colin likes to run on our little excursion, peppering me with questions which he sometimes answers himself. Where's the moon? (behind the clouds, right Mommy?) Where's the sun? (it went night-night?) What was that sound? (a plane/helicopter/car) That car isn't gonna squoosh us, right mommy? (no dear, we're safe on the sidewalk) And so forth.
But the other night our walk took an unusual turn. Instead of asking his normal litany of question Colin instead said "Mommy! Look... a werewolf - we'd better run! He's gonna get us!" This was said without any fear - it was clearly a game to him, and I wondered to myself if perhaps they'd read a story about a werewolf in school. I thought it unlikely - I can't see them doing a werewolf story in preschool, and certainly not in February - but where would he have come up with this? Then Colin switched and there were coyotes everywhere. Behind every bush, up in the trees... they're gonna get us, we'd better run!
I happily played along, and we jogged around the development somehow managing to make it home safe without being eaten by a werewolf or coyote. The fun continued inside, where Colin repeatedly pointed out the coyotes. There's one in the bathroom! There's three over there. There's another one behind you! There's two over by Baby Ryan! Each time I would sternly admonish the coyote(s) that they were clearly not allowed in the house, and they needed to leave. Immediately.
Colin found this all endlessly amusing, but I had to wonder what made him suddenly think so much about coyotes and werewolves. The next day in school I asked the teachers if perhaps they'd read a book about coyotes or werewolves. Nope. This was all just straight out of Colin's imagination.
I love this kid!
This is a bit of a process, but we make it work. I keep the boys dressed (coats, hats, shoes), run inside and get Sydney, slip Ryan into the sling, and away we go. We have a leash with two handles so Colin takes his, I take mine, and off we go!
When we get to any street Colin will stop on the last sidewalk square and say "annnnnd weeeeee.... STOP!" (yes, brainwashing does work). I then check for cars, and if none are coming our little herd continues across the street. Colin likes to run on our little excursion, peppering me with questions which he sometimes answers himself. Where's the moon? (behind the clouds, right Mommy?) Where's the sun? (it went night-night?) What was that sound? (a plane/helicopter/car) That car isn't gonna squoosh us, right mommy? (no dear, we're safe on the sidewalk) And so forth.
But the other night our walk took an unusual turn. Instead of asking his normal litany of question Colin instead said "Mommy! Look... a werewolf - we'd better run! He's gonna get us!" This was said without any fear - it was clearly a game to him, and I wondered to myself if perhaps they'd read a story about a werewolf in school. I thought it unlikely - I can't see them doing a werewolf story in preschool, and certainly not in February - but where would he have come up with this? Then Colin switched and there were coyotes everywhere. Behind every bush, up in the trees... they're gonna get us, we'd better run!
I happily played along, and we jogged around the development somehow managing to make it home safe without being eaten by a werewolf or coyote. The fun continued inside, where Colin repeatedly pointed out the coyotes. There's one in the bathroom! There's three over there. There's another one behind you! There's two over by Baby Ryan! Each time I would sternly admonish the coyote(s) that they were clearly not allowed in the house, and they needed to leave. Immediately.
Colin found this all endlessly amusing, but I had to wonder what made him suddenly think so much about coyotes and werewolves. The next day in school I asked the teachers if perhaps they'd read a book about coyotes or werewolves. Nope. This was all just straight out of Colin's imagination.
I love this kid!
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