The little things

Sometimes being a parent is all about the little things.  For Rae and I, teaching M about nature is one of those little things.  From an early age we told her that bugs outside are fine, and that there's no reason to kill bugs or ants on the sidewalk, that they're just working, gathering food, walking home or to work.  Same with worms on the sidewalk after a good rain - whenever we see one on the driveway or sidewalk (provided it's not already fried by the sun), we pick it up and throw it into the garden to dig back in the soil.  Now, I still have to be the one to pick it up and toss it in the garden, but she's always on the lookout for worms to save, even saying on the occasions where one is already fried when we find it, "Too bad we weren't out here earlier, Poppa, we could have saved this worm.  He's fried now."

Well, this past week I had two opportunities to share nature with my little girl.  Last Thursday, when we got back from playing at the park after school (Rae was working late so I took M to the park before dinner) it was already getting dark and the sky was a deepening blue.  As we pulled into the driveway, windows down in the car, I heard the hoot hoot of the pair of owls we have living nearby.  Great Horned I think.  Great, deep haunting hoo hoo-hoo-HOO sound.  As we got out of the car I heard the pair calling back and forth and could tell they were close.  I searched the trees and there, at the top of our tree in the backyard, above our roof line, was perched one of the owls.  It was HUGE, sillhoetted against the blue twilight.  Every time it hooted it craned its neck and fluttered its tail feathers.  I called M over and pointed it out to her, and the next time it hooted she saw it.  She was so excited to see it up at the top of the tree, and listening to it hoot.  As we were watching, the other of the pair responded, and suddenly M says, "Poppa, I see the other one!"  There, just below and to the left of the first was the mate, fluttering its tail when it hooted.  We watched them both for several moments before they flew off on large, powerful wings.  She was amazed at seeing them take flight, and wanted to chase them into the cemetery behind to see if she could see them again.  As it was getting darker and there was NO way we were going to find them in the woods of the cemetery, we decided to go inside for dinner.

The second opportunity came Friday while I was mowing the front yard.  M was playing on the porch with her stuffed animals while I mowed.  As I came for a pass in the side yard a tiny garter snake darted away from my mower.  It startled me a bit, but I quickly turned off the mower and called M to come here quick.  She came running asking what I'd seen.  "A snake," I told her, "come look!"  We scooted under the hole in the fence to the backyard and there it was, about 5 or so inches long, slithering away from us.  M was in awe, I don't think she's ever seen a live snake before.  It was tiny, skinny, black with yellow stripes (this, though not as big).  We followed it for several seconds, but it was quick and we kept losing it in the uncut grass of the backyard.  Again, she was excited, and ran back to the front door to tell Rae what she'd seen.

Then Sunday M was in the front and side yard playing with her cousin who was in town.  She saw the box turtle that we've seen in the backyard several times over the years.  She was elated to show off the turtle to her cousin, all proud of herself and acting like this was just an everyday occurrence to her.  Someone has painted a pink splotch of nail polish on its back to keep track of it (this was the first time we've seen the pink, so either the mark was new or it was a different turtle that before - and I've seen a pair together, one with a lawnmower blade scuff on its back, so who knows).  M and her cousin named it Pinky the Turtle, and it was a pretty exciting morning.

So yeah, little things like turtles, snakes and owls in the backyard (not to mention the red tailed hawk from last fall), they're a big part of what makes parenting fun.  The little things - they don't take a lot of money, don't take a lot of prep time or need a big production.  That's why they're called little things.  But what they do require is for you to be on the look out for opportunities.  Pay attention to your surroundings, think like a kid, be aware things that could be new and exciting to your child.  It doesn't necessarily have to be about nature either.  I'm constantly pointing out construction equipment, police officers on horseback, or seeing a person riding a Sewgay down the sidewalk.  It's all part of our natural and built environment, and it's certainly all new to her, and fascinating and fun to see. 

Think about the last time you shared the small things with your kid, about your surroundings, about your next opportunity to share a small thing.  It doesn't take much more than being aware and open and having a kid's heart, and a desire to share.  What are some of the ways you share the little things with your child?  Let's generate some ideas and expand our opportunities to share the little things with our kids.