My Little Bindi

At lunch we talked about things that we fear.  Some of us fear spiders.  Others fear snakes or mice or skunks.  I have some fears too but none of mine are debilitating.  Yes, I will sometimes (usually) scream when I see a snake but that is my amygdilla kicking in and acting out before my frontal cortex takes over and calms me down. In other words, I don't want to scream.  It just happens. I really don't mind snakes in my yard.  I just don't want them in or under my house.  Mice are fine in the yard too but not in the house.  Many years ago I opened my dishwasher and found a tiny, six inch garter snake on the rack inside.  I screamed.  I shut the dishwasher door.  And I stood on a chair next to the dishwasher.  I don't know how the little snake got inside a closed dishwasher.  Offspring #2 came to the rescue. She opened the dishwasher and picked up the little snake.  She kissed it on the mouth and took it out the deck, down the steps and set it down right next to the house.  Was I grateful?  Eventually I was grateful but initially I was upset that she didn't carry that snake farther away from the house before setting it down.  I remembered another time when a friend and I plus my two offspring traveled to Twin Lakes in Elk River for a little swimming expedition.  We swam.  We sat on towels on the sandy beach to rest and warm up.  Offspring #1 had a big bug on his towel and he shied away from it.  Offspring #2, about 3 years old at the time, stood up, said "I'll handle this!"  She walked (confidently and with elbows pumping) around us two older folk, marched over to his towel, picked up the bug and tossed it away in the sand.  She marched back around to her towel and laid down.  My friend and I stared at her in amazement.  From where did this bravery come from?  She is a little Bindi Irwin!  When I took her fishing she would kiss the minnows on the mouth too before she rammed a hook under their chin and out through the top of their heads.    Where did she get such confidence?  Why doesn't her amygdilla react the way mine does?  I don't know but she is an offspring to be proud of!