When I was a child, I quickly ran to my mother whenever something scared me, usually unfamiliar sounds (like scurrying little feet on the roof). I did not care to know what caused it because knowing doesn’t matter. What I care about is the comfort I need right away.
And when my mother doesn’t fret, it means that I am safe. That everything is alright.
Children take their cues from us. When they’re young and they hear a loud noise, they don’t look where the noise came from, they look at us. If you’re not upset, they’re not upset.
From The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More by Bruce Feiler
When I asked her what it was, usually after I had calmed down and returned to my senses to ask rational questions, she would say it was a rat crossing on our roof.
So, when I was old enough to distinguish noises around the house, I found it amusing to have my niece go through the same things I did. When it’s just the two of us, she’ll run to me out of fear of the unknown and become calm when she reaches me.
“What is it, mama Jessa?“
Isn’t it too dull for a child to hear when I just tell her it’s a rat trying to cross from one tree to another through our roof? I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to paint a picture that is rather entertaining.
“It must be the dad rat trying to get inside our house. Or maybe he got lost trying to find Mama Cat and their children.“
And what’s surprising is that when it happened again, she would still run to me but she would tell me it must be the dad rat being lost again.
jessa 