My children are adults now. Cera, my youngest, my baby, is
twenty-five years old. How did that happen so quickly? Sometimes I look back
and wonder if I was a good mother, if I could have or should have done things
differently. I'm sure that crosses the minds of mothers all over the world. I
do believe I did the best I could at the time, and I take comfort that above
all, I loved—and still love—my children unconditionally, with all my heart.
They taught me so much about life, and what is really
important, and sometimes I remember these lessons when I look over old photos
or videos of them when they were young. Recently I ran across a picture of my
daughter when she was ten years old. Her Girl Scout troop had a picnic in the
park, an informal party to celebrate their past year accomplishments.
On the other side of the park were snakes. Big snakes like pythons
and boa constrictors. All were non-venomous (or so we were told) and
accompanied by their handlers. It wasn't long before the Girl Scout party
invaded the snake party, and it was an amazing sight.
These preteen girls were petting the reptiles, making
tunnels with their bodies while the snakes wriggled underneath them, sitting
and letting them slither up and around their arms and legs. Moms and Dads were
watching carefully, more than a bit nervous, and as I recall, the snake
handlers were amused by the whole situation as they talked about their unusual
pets. This was definitely a teachable moment.
Most of these reptiles were really long, twelve to twenty
feet perhaps, if I recall correctly. I watched my daughter delight in stroking
their smooth scales (skin?) and attempt to lure snakes over to her just to
watch them slide in and around her.
Cera was sitting cross-legged, when one of these snakes
slithered under her knee and raised its head up to look at her. My first
reaction was a bit of panic, then I composed myself and told her – "Don't
move. I'll be right back."
As a good mother, you know what I did next, right? Of course, I ran to my car and grabbed my camera! And snapped this picture. And I'm so
glad I did, since both Cera and her new snake friend only had patience to pose
for a few moments. Then the snake slowly lowered itself to the ground and
glided away.
Lessons learned:
- Snakes are really pretty cool, unless they are rattlesnakes sitting in the middle of a trail I'm running on.
- My daughter was entranced by this encounter, and it helped reinforce her love and appreciation for all of God's creatures.
- When you put Girl Scouts in the same park as big long harmless snakes, give up on any of your pre-planned activities – they will hang with the reptiles instead.
- The real snake charmers were the real snakes charming the girls.
And the number one lesson I learned? When you're with your
kids, always carry a camera.
