Good Job, Mommy!

So as a mother, I realize my responsibility to try to teach all those important virtues like kindness, truthfulness, and compassion to my little one is an important and daily task. Most days this is pretty easy until one day you yourself are tested and your child is bright-eyed and watching to see how you react... man... talk about tough!

Let's take this morning for example. Sofia and I had just finished showering and washing off the remaining colors from the previous day's finger-painting-on-crack holiday in India called Holi... when Sofia gave a delightful yelp and said "mama a spider!" Instead of being scared or upset, I noticed that she was more curious and happy to see such a creature in our bathroom of all places. As I inched closer to see what she was talking about, I noticed this mammoth of an insect was no spider... although it did have many legs! Instead it was a light brown-colored... thing... on its back struggling to turn over. I leaned in closer and realized it was looking more and more like a hideously ugly and disgusting cockroach/beetle with an injured leg (or two). Now, on normal days, pre-Sofia, my reaction would have been letting out a blood-curdling scream, proceeded by grabbing my flip-flop and smashing the HELL out of that cockroach!!!! But seeing as my little one was looking at me and probably thinking "remember mama all those times you said I shouldn't step on or kill those ants outside, remember?" I instead gathered all the physical and emotional restraint I could and walked calmly to the other room... scanned the room to think of something to "get rid" of this insect as delicately as possible... as I couldn't really think of anything besides my flip-flop.. that's what I went for. As I'm walking... again calmly... back to the bathroom with the weapon in hand, Sofia says to me, "mama, be gentle... take it outside mama". My initial plan was to close the bathroom door so Sofia couldn't see her friend's life end so brutally, but I suddenly had a change of heart and decided to pick the thing up with my "weapon" instead... luckily since it was somehow already injured it couldn't go anywhere fast... but I COULD.. and did... as soon as I picked it up with my flip flop I ran with that sucker to the balcony and said good riddance to it as I tossed it frantically outside. Although I was horrifically disgusted... it made it all worth it when Sofia said, "good job, mommy!" with a big smile.