this is a conversation i had with my awesome niece, jaeza, a couple of days ago (they are visiting from kansas city, mo.):
(ambrose and i are walking from downstairs to the staircase that leads up to my apartment. as i cross the path that is next to the yard my niece and nephew can be heard squealing with delight)
jaeza: aunt stephanie!! we finally caught a lizard! look!! look!! look!!
(i start to scurry away at a frantic pace)
me: no! no! no! i don't want to see it!
jaeza: (confused) why not? (yelling after me with concern) they don't have sharp teeth to bite you and they are not dangerous...
me: (still scampering with wobbly inflictions in my voice): that's ok sweetie...
(i make it safely into my apartment and shut the screen door- i heard the eager footsteps of my niece and nephew, jezec, tromping up the stairs and finally some giggles at my screen door)
jaeza: (this time a little menacingly) oh aunt stephanie, come oooo-nnnnn! just see this little lizard...
me: (with a little impatience, but mostly shame)no! i don't want to see it. i have an irrational fear of lizards. snakes. all things that squirm.
jaeza: why?
me: i told you! it's irrational. i don't know.
jaeza: (matter-of-factly): well, you need to face your fears.
me: (this time embarrassed that a 6 year old is so much more rational than me) no i don't and i don't need a little girl to force me to.
jaeza: (with a lot of maturity) well, you wouldn't be forced! you HAVE a choice!
(i just laughed. she is so cute and smart.)
me: OK.
(i walk over to the screen and look at the lizard. not so bad.)
(then it puffs out this weird little flap of red skin under it's mouth and poops on her.)
jaeza: AH! it pooped on me! why??!?
me: he's in captivity. i don't blame him. i would do the same.
(we both just laugh and she lets him go.)
8 comments:
Stephanie I will make sure to have you hold my lizard while you are here to help you overcome your fears.
Irrational fears are A okay in my book. Go ahead, you hate lizards I will hate spiders. Good.
Ambrose would probably enjoy seeing a lizard.
oh man you should have just gotten a latte
ash: no way, jose. lizards poop on people. duh:)
bille: thanks. i knew you would sympathize.
papel: true. here comes the parenting challenge: not transferring my irrational fears over to my children before they get a chance to formulate their own opinions.
mellie: i am tucking that away for something we can do together (decaf of course!) on june13th!!!
Fear of lizards/snakes/all reptiles is perfectly rational! They are ugly and unpredictable. Run, run away.
I can't believe you are scared of lizards! I'm not irrationally afraid of anything. ;-)
I have tried very hard and I don't think my kids realize my fear of birds yet. I am holding back for purely selfish reasons though- it has nothing to do with not transferring my irrational fear on them- it is just because I know some of them will take every opportunity to scare me!!
Natalie I can totally see Zac trying to scare you with a dead bird. I love it.
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