Wyatt, Rosie...and the caterpillar

Could it really be that my son is 5 years old and has never gone to the Zoo before? What kind of a parent am I? Chad and I sat in amazement at our lack of parenting skills that this boy hadn't seen an elephant or a zebra before, even though they are right here in Atlanta.


So on Thursday night, I told Wyatt that we were going to the Zoo the next day with his favorite person, Rosie and her family. Jen (Rosie's mom and one of my BF F's) has a Season pass to the zoo and invited us along. When I told Wyatt we were going to the zoo, he asked "What is the zoo?" OK, now I officially felt like a loser parent. I explained it was a place where all the animals lived and we could see most any animal he ever wanted to see.

"Like squirrels?"he asked. So I broadened his scope of imagination with the thought of seeing lions and tigers and panda bears! Oh my! He went to bed with a head full of imagination.

When he woke up in the morning, he was beaming. He said, "I can't believe that I am going to see an elephant...I wonder if they have caterpillars?" Ah, caterpillars! Wyatt's favorite spring past time is collecting the massive amounts of caterpillars that hatch every year. Last week he had a box full of at least 100 caterpillars. I like caterpillars, but I box of 100 was just a little creepy. I will write another blog about that experience.

So off to the zoo we went! Giggles and squeals of excitement followed us the whole way. The elephants amazed him. The birds astounded him. The snake creeped him out a little. THEN IT HAPPENED! He found a caterpillar! No panda or lion or tiger compared to that caterpillar. As Jen put it, Rosie and Wyatt became like a divorced couple fighting over parental visitation of the caterpillar who became known as Twitchy. Every 20 feet we heard, "Can I hold him now? It is my turn. I haven't held him in forever."

I thought we may have ditched Twitchy for good when I told them that he couldn't go in the Parakeet exhibit because they might eat him. So they took him to the bamboo jungle and said their goodbyes. When we were done with the parakeets, they bolted from the exhibit and headed to the bamboo jungle. I heard Rosie yell, "We found Twitchy!" Great!

"Wyatt look at this amazing bird, " I would say.

"Yup! I love my Twitchy! Can I take him home?" Wyatt responded.

"Wyatt, look at the lion," I said.

"Aaahhh! I can't find Twitchy!" he screamed. It was hanging on his shirt. At that point I became sick of Twitchy. He was interfering in the incredible zoo trip and he was coming between two friends who both thought they had parental rights to him.

Then at last peace came to the expedition when Rosie found her own caterpillar. Her name was Lady and she was in love.

Rosie and Lady

OK, so I wasn't thrilled with the idea that Wyatt was paying no attention to the animals anymore, but in the end, Wyatt LOVED his zoo visit. He loved his Twitchy time and his Rosie time. They left Lady and Rosie at the zoo, because I told them that their mom would miss them...a tactic my own mom used on me throughout my childhood. Then it hit me, I would have done the same thing as a child. He is just like me. He loves to hold creatures and love on them. It meant the world to him to carry a friend with him through the zoo.

I won't ever forget Wyatt's first trip to the zoo...or Twitchy! Oh, and he did see a squirrel!

Wyatt and Twitchy!