"Kinda Like an Animal"

The girls were down in the courtyard playing with two neighbor girls, sisters who are five and nine years old. I was sitting at the patio table on our deck keeping an eye on them whilst doing some work on the computer. The four of them were at the edge of the courtyard. My view of them was somewhat blocked by the overhanging tree branches. I could see them through the branches and hear them playing, I just couldn't see exactly what it was that they were doing. I found out soon enough. And this is exactly the reason I don't usually let them go to the courtyard without me.

The five year old neighbor girl (I'll call her Missy) had lost one of her shoes in an ivy patch. The girls wanted to help her look for it, of course, so they proceeded to rip up that ivy to find the shoe. Then two other neighbor kids (ages five and three) joined in the rampage. And they tore that patch up! There were leaves all over the grass and sidewalks. Branches and roots were strewn everywhere by the time I happened upon the scene. They still hadn't found that shoe. I was unhappy and disappointed with the children, but especially my eldest as I have higher expectations for her. She tends to be one of the leaders in the neighborhood crew despite the fact that she's not the oldest among them. I was equally embarrassed. Again, part of the reason I don't usually let them in the courtyard without my presence known among the rest of the children. Anyway... I told all the children we needed to clean it up immediately. I gave Mateja a bit of a lecture (I know, lectures suck) whilst I knelt beside her to pick up the wreckage. You know, standard lecture stuff: I was disappointed and this is not how we treat other people's property and how it's devastating for the earth AND how this is something a wild animal would do, not children.

Mateja responded, "Well, Arielle is kinda like an animal." That stopped me in my tracks and I literally had to hold myself back from bursting into laughter. The look on my face triggered the rest of her thought process, "Well, her name means Lioness of God, so that's kinda like an animal, Mom." I replied, "You're right." And then the laughter erupted. I just couldn't help myself. LOVE my kids!

Missy's older sister got a broom from her apartment, the children worked as a team to clean up their mess and I found Missy's shoe.