Don't Tell Mom

Last night I was sitting in the yard with my sister when I heard the words every mother dreads to hear.

"Don't tell mom!"

I quickly jumped up from my chair and ran around to the side of the house where I found my twins, my dog, the neighbor boy, and 3 dead baby birds.

It seems that the neighbor boy wanted to check out the birds in the nest in the tree by the house. Gavin decided to get a stick and tilt the nest so they could see. As you can imagine, that did not end well. The poor birds along with the nest fell out of the tree, and my dog got to the birds before I did.

I was traumatic for all of us. I was beyond upset that the boys went against the "Stay away from the birds" rule that has been in place for weeks. I was alarmed that Gavin didn't seem to know how to act after the fact. I was upset that they their first instinct was to hide what they had done, instead of calling for help.

The neighbor boy was sent home. I disposed of the birds. Both boys were sat down and we talked about hiding things is not the way to handle things. We also talked about how animals deserve to be treated just like humans. It doesn't matter if it's a cat, dog, baby bird, etc. Neither of the boys were wanting to talk about how it happened, they were more concerned about why the dog attacked the birds. We talked for awhile, and the boys were sent to bed.

This morning both boys woke up and came and hugged me to say they were sorry. They then sat outside talking to me about the birds. This is when they told me there were 4 birds, not 3. I immediately put the boys and the dogs in the house, and I ran around to the side of the house. I quickly found baby bird number 4. He was still alive, and huddled up to a drainage pipe.

How my dog missed him, I have no idea.

I ran inside to get my husband to help me, and then donned my gardening gloves and went back out. I picked the bird up and we tried putting the nest back in the tree but it was crumpled and the baby bird kept falling/jumping out of it. Mommy / Daddy bird were close by and ticked off that I had the baby at this point. You can imagine the scene. I was huddled under the tree trying to get the baby while dodging Mommy / Daddy.

Hubby went inside to get a small box that we set the nest/bird inside of and we wedged it into the tree. We quickly backed away and Mommy / Daddy bird immediately went to the baby. We watched from a distance and Mommy / Daddy bird quickly went about feeding their baby.

Owyn and Gavin were thrilled that one bird survived. They are now banned from going near the tree and can only watch from a safe distance away. We then talked a great deal about how even if you think you're going to get into trouble, you have to ask for help when you need it. If you don't, others could be in danger. Animals should be given the same respect as people. I think the boys finally realize it. But I know that curious minds don't always think clearly. 

Gavin is our curious child. He always wants to be right in the middle and asking "Why?".  As a parent, it's hard to keep that curiosity strong, while keeping him and others safe. I don't believe for a minute that he wanted to hurt the birds. But, he didn't understand the consequences of  his actions either. Being young, and trying to figure out the world around you can be a challenge. 

Today I'm thankful that 1 bird did survive. I'm thankful that the Mommy / Daddy bird didn't abandon him, and I'm thankful for the teachable moment. 

Parenting is tricky business. 

-Tracy