Parenting Among Monkeys, Squirrels, and Boo-Guys.

Sometimes in my profession, it feels like I get to see the worst of society.  Most of the stories I hear I would never dare repeat.  Maybe all of this has made me more of a realist. I know the terrible things that happen out of sight and I don’t just want to shelter my kids from it, but I want to caution them from venturing out into the world in a state of naïve bliss.

I believe in “Boo Guys”. My husband does well in grounding me and we are honest with our children, but in an age appropriate manner.  My children will likely understand some of the more uncomfortable issues in life before their peers, but they will be well equipped and resourceful when confronted by them.  That being said, you have to allow your co-parent the freedom to parent the way they choose sometimes.

Awhile back, I felt it was appropriate to share that the Father Monkey on the Discovery Show died but my husband felt it better to just let the kids think he was sleeping, to avoid all the questions and tears.  So where did my husband find himself the following day? 

Reluctantly driving a wounded "baby" squirrel in a dog carrier to another town to “save his life,” because my kids could not bear the thought that their dog had [nearly] fatally wounded this little creature.  Now if I were home, I will not lie, we might have come to a similar conclusion, but with no one home to capture the limping squirrel and assist in putting it in a box (with no hope of getting out in my car) I would have likely let nature take it’s course. And then sent my husband out to clean up the carnage when he got home, all the while taking the kids out to a store, library, park, anywhere just to get their mind off the “incident.”  

There are Boo Guys in the world, bad things do happen, thankfully, my kids have me to warn them of these things, and their father there making the world a better place, one squirrel at a time.  As for our dog, Jackie, I am not sure when they will trust him again.  I know the squirrels never will.