I will hold a snake and a spider has never made me scream. But put me in the vicinity of a mouse or rat, and I'll be the first one on top of the table. Tonight, Dani and Ella were playing in the driveway while I read on the back porch.
Them: "Come look at this?"
Me: "Uh huh" (not listening)
Them: "No really, come look at this!"
Me: "Uh huh, yeah!" (still not listening)
Them: "No really, come look at it. Its alive!"
Me: Alive? (still not processing)
Them: Yeah, its a rat! Its sooo cute! Can we pet it?
Me: WHAAAAAAT!!!???? (heart stops beating)
Sure enough, they had a little mouse cornered against the pot of Ella's peanut plant. And they followed him around, talked to him, plotted how to get him into a jar to have as a pet, and asked if they could put a band-aid on him. (He walked really slow, so we assumed he was injured or sick.) After Dani went home for the night, Ella and I were walking in the back door. I heard her whisper "Goodnight Dani!" When I said "Dani has already gone home." she said, "I know...I'm talking to the mouse. We named her Dani too!"
