snakes.

Recently, A and I heard the dogs barking and going insane at something in the backyard. Snakes. Yay. We knew they could be a problem but this was not something we really wanted to deal with. When we first looked at this house one slithered near our realtor’s foot which sent her leaping and sprinting back to the patio.  The old owners had a large concrete “pit” with the framework made of cinder blocks,  that was once a large fountain or koi pond. We had discovered they were leaving in and around it at that point, we had just hoped that after winter we wouldn’t see them. We were wrong and Millie has never seen a snake so she was very unsure. I knew if I didn’t do something she wouldn’t stop barking, terrorizing and drooling.

That said, when the snakes graced us with their presence I had two choices – use them as a learning opportunity or don’t. Although I’m not a fan of snakes I chose the first option. When I chose to be a mom I feel like I made the choice to put the kids ahead of myself – for needs and life in general, including learning.  A is at the age where she’s curious about things but exercises caution – which is a good thing. I want her to be cautious about new experiences for a variety of reasons, including her safety.  It’s also a time where I know she is approached with things will also mold her for a long time. So, I put her learning above my preferences and went out and collected the snakes that were terrorizing the dogs. They were harmless garter snakes, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been something I would have entertained other than getting them out of our yard for good.  

 Once I had them wrangled into a large sterlite box, I took the opportunity to let A learn about how they move, what they look like, talk about where they live and eat – but also that like many other things, it’s best to use caution because not all snakes are safe & to always come find her daddy or I when she sees one.

Ryan thought I was insane to go out and wrangle up snakes and make it a learning experience. He knew I was a little crazy when he married me though. 

Here’s to encouraging learning and awareness, pushing past preferences so my kiddos can learn about the world around them.