Nature can be fearsome; tsunamis, hurricanes, cyclones, volcanoes, earthquakes… rustling leaves.
The gurus of all things mommy say that sometimes children have strange phobias and that parents should never mock or belittle their children if they develop a fear of something… well, something random I guess.
I agree. Is it okay if we mock them behind their backs? I’ll say ‘yes’ for the sake of my story and make sure that my nineteen-month-old daughter only reads it when she has developed a sense of humour.
It all started on the day that my hubby threw a pile of dead, autumn leaves on the head of my baby girl. So perhaps her strange fear is not completely irrational. Fear can be predominantly subjective after all. And I also like to play ‘blame the dad’ sometimes. Anyway, Amelia used to be afraid to walk on, next to or near any pile of leaves. She got over that. Now she is not so keen on leaves attached to trees and bushes but only when the wind blows and the leaves rustle.
When out in the garden today it took the greatest amount of cajoling to convince my daughter to walk past a noisy rose bush that relaxed peacefully in the flower bed next to Amelia’s chosen path – there was no way it could have touched her. I chuckled to myself as I observed the manifestations of an inner struggle reflected on the face of my sweet one.
I am proud to say that she did the brave thing: walked past the rose bush all by herself! Demon flowers and all!
At such a young age my Amelia has come into contact with one of Life’s most essential lessons: the mental requirements necessary to overcome fear. Practice makes perfect. And another lesson (albeit somewhat abstract)…
… that Nature should be respected. Perhaps it is my daughter’s innocence that opens her mind to the importance of this fact. She exists in a time before Innocence is choked and stifled by the aged hands Arrogance and replaced with Compromise and Comprehension.
At the tender age of toddler, Amelia is afforded the precious gift of looking on the world with untainted eyes. How lovely.
