My Little Turtle

As the mother of a child who LOVES all things animal, I have had the pleasure (or misfortune, depending on how one views these things) of visiting the zoo many, many, many times. On one of our visits, M took the time to calmly watch the tortoises as they slowly moved around their habitat, eating, observing us, or just relaxing. The other night, late at night, I was watching a show on turtles and how they go into their shells if they feel threatened or scared. This brought to mind my little M. For the first few years of his life he has been an exceedingly cautious and observant fellow who frightened easily and, to complete the analogy, spent a generous portion of his time inside his shell. I don't state this in a negative manner or as a criticism, just as a fact. M has been an observer from the sidelines and has, like the turtles and tortoises, been eating, observing and relaxing from the cozy perch of my lap. He was slow to walk, slow to talk and slow to socialize...which was a constant source of worry from my part.

Over the past month, M has begun to emerge from the safety and security of his shell and is developing into an amazingly different person. He has emerged as a person whom I barely recognize. He has turned into an energetic ball of excitement with a yearning for more adventure. Rather than calmly sit and read his books, he now jumps and runs around the house like a maniac. He crawls over his little brother and grabs toys from both B and his little playmates. We went to a Kindergym activity and he followed the instructor around the room, acting like an elephant. He helped the teacher lift up the parachute...you know the same kind that kids have used for years at preschools across the country...and ran under it when it was high in the air, and giggled uncontrollably when it fell down upon him and the others.

At playgroup on Monday, M not only readily jumped in to playing with the toys, but eagerly showed B how to use other toys. Yesterday, when trying to leave Kelly's house, he said, "Bye, Mommy. I want to stay with Kewy. Bye, Bye B." Of course, I had to drag him out kicking and screaming, but the point is, he no longer needs me exclusively. M's head has popped out of his shell, and he is no longer leisurely and calmly observing the world around him...he is jumping in, sometimes head first.

While part of me is excited for M and oh, so proud, there is a small part of me that misses my turtle...