A Little Jumpy

Kitty has always been a curious child.  Anything that had to do with animals, bugs, or science in general: she was all over it.  When she was in pre-K I remember going to pick her up, and she was trying to sneak a centipede home in her pocket. Eww!

She never had a fear of critters.  Unfortunately, her sister and I didn’t share this same mindset.  Kai was always bringing something into the house and scaring her sister with it.  She had no qualms about picking bugs or even worms up and examining them to learn about them.  Brie and I were exposed to way more than we wanted to be!

One evening Kitty and I went to visit some friends.  During the course of a conversation, I discovered that she had a snake in the house!  In a cupboard, in an empty Fruit by the Foot by box: she planned to take it to school the next day to show her teacher.  Needless to say, I told her that as soon as we got home she was to put the snake outside.  And all the way home I was praying that Brie wouldn’t get the urge for a fruit snack!

When we went to the beach she’d root around for salamanders, and if she was lucky enough to find one she’d make a beeline for me to show it to me.  She’d always want me to hold it but I’m just not a lizard person either.  I would admire it and then tell her to release it so it could rejoin its family.

It wasn’t just her sister and mother Kitty terrorized.  I mean, shared her nature time with.  Other family members weren’t exactly immune either.  At my parents’ house, my Marie had some ice melt that she kept in a big bag; and for some reason Kitty was fascinated with the stuff.  So whenever we’d go over there, she’d grab a handful of it and play with it.  Marie was always telling her, “Kitty, you leave that stuff alone!”  But of course this usually fell on deaf ears.

I had dropped the kids off one afternoon and went back to pick them up.  Marie and I were in the kitchen when we noticed Kitty trying to skulk by with her hand behind her back.  “Kitty, do you have ice melt in your hand?”  “No Grandma, it’s not ice melt.”  “I have told you to leave that alone!  Open your hand.”  “But I don’t have ice melt in my hand.”  “Kitty, open your hand right now and give it to Granny!”

Being the “obedient” grandchild she was, Kitty dutifully opened her hand, and a bunch of live grasshoppers jumped out on Marie, and she screamed like a madwoman!  Hijinks immediately ensued, and I laughed out loud.  “See Grandma?” Kitty began innocently, “I told you I didn’t have any ice melt.”

“Rita, you can take your kids home now!” Ha!

~*~