The Birds and the Bees

Sometimes being a parent is hard.

This morning, kiddo was putting out the dog, I was waiting for the happy juice to perk when I hear "Mom, Mom quick!"

After 10 years of training, my well tuned ears tell me that my daughter is not hurt. They also tell me that since kiddo is not screaming in terror, the hawk who has been seen snatching rabbits in the neighborhood, is not after my 20 pound dog. My ears tell me that Bria is excited. So I pry my eyes off the slow dripping coffee and waddle to the back door.

My child is standing proudly with outstretched hands, grinning from ear to ear.

She found an egg!



This spring has been hard for eggs in our yard, the evil black squirrel got into the Morning Dove's nest and destroyed her 2 eggs, then last week the egg in the Robin's nest at the corner of the fence disappeared. We searched for other nests, but didn't find one. Just the solitary egg currently cupped lovingly in Kiddo's.

The fact that the egg was in the centre of the yard, and that it was cool to the touch, lead me to my next move.

I ran and grabbed the abandoned Robin's nest. "Put the egg in here please"

Kiddo: "Ok, are we bringing it in the house?"

Me: "No babe, sorry. What if the mommy bird comes back looking for her egg, she will be heartbroken if she can't find it."

Kiddo: "But its not her nest, she won't look for it in there, and if she can't find it who will take care of it?"

Me: "Well dolly we can't take it in the house. We have to wait and see if she comes back. Besides, I don't think she laid the egg in the middle of the yard. I think it was stolen from her nest and whoever stole it got scared when you let Tina out."

Kiddo: "But it deserves a chance mom. If we leave it here it will get cold and die."

Me: "Oh dolly, I am sorry but we can't take it in the house. The egg needs to be kept warmed and rolled. What happens if it does hatch, then we have no way to feed the baby and it will starve. I know it sounds really mean to you, but we have to leave this one to mother nature, she knows best."

Kiddo: "We can feed it milk."

Me: "Baby birds don't drink milk. The mommy bird chews up worms and spits them into the baby's mouth. I can't chew up worms and spit them in the bird's mouth, can you."

Here I get a look of disgust and rolled eyes.

Kiddo: "We can mush the worms in the blender."


The kicker, husband heard the whole conversation, after Bria left he looked at me... "good line about chewing up worms and spitting them into the baby's mouth, I wouldn't have thought of that one."

Maybe I should bring it inside.