Boys and Butterflies.

I know, I know. MOST Moms of little boys find their son's creative, focused, gentlemanly, soft-side to be prevalent but undeservedly missed by the observing eye. Due to culture's presumptions that little boys are... well, you know... energetic, unfocused, hyper, kill-kill-kill, "burping out their bum", self proclaimed comedians... we often don't hear about the sweet side of things until one mom is trying to sell another mom on her son's better-than-most tendencies or the Christian mom is head over heels excited about her son's "break through" or God-like characteristics.

I like to think that although my 27 month old son enjoys "shooting people" as of late, we are on the brink of discovering the world's most peace filled and prayerful three year old on the planet. Never mind that just months ago he sat quietly in the midst of the Sunday service only to invent the one and only "blue crock gun". William sat quietly for 45 minutes following the worship time - inflating the pride of his mother and grandmother - and walked away with not life giving wisdom from the Lord but yet another annihilator of a device. He had carefully connected his two crocks together perpendicularly using the "pew pens" that most people use for sacrificial giving/tithe envelopes and had, to his amusement, a device for shooting down those up front making a mockery of "Amazing Grace". To his credit, it was most likely accompanied by a soundtrack and an invisible choir. If I had had my wits about me at the time I would have remembered such an abominable attempt but as I looked down the pew at my 2 year old I only saw what looked to be a well versed hunter scoping his prey waiting for the perfect kill as he looked through his scope.

Today, we entered the Butterfly Exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo. Accompanying our squad o' Scheis was Christelle Perman-Marshall and her three kids along with Rachel Kalous and her two... okay, almost three - due end of November this year. As we walked amongst the music and what was supposed to be "stillness" I watched as William went from being mesmerized by the butterflies to being excited about the butterflies to jumping around flying like the butterflies and climbing up places he wasn't supposed to to wanting to SQUASH the butterflies! This wasn't a mean attempt as much as it was a game! He was smiling and looking up in pride at me every time he was within close range of one on the path! I quickly and quietly tried to maneuver him away from the beautiful creatures but he was not to be swayed. His eyes were fixed on his prey, as beautiful and delicate as they were, and he was determined to catch one if it meant he had to beat it first. I was a little embarrassed as it was undesirable behavior to me - not surprising behavior, just undesirable. Surprisingly though, I found myself refraining from the ear to ear grin as I watched the joy dance across his face! With no reference point from which to leap I simply drew as clear of boundaries as possible and kept a close eye on what was unfolding to be an unbeatable battle. I wanted him to want to just hold them and caress their beautiful wings... I wanted him to smile and walk with a light step as he experienced unthinkable color combinations and unbelievable detail...

He wanted to squash them. I turned around half way through the exhibit to find him tailing a lovely orange butterfly as it flew around him in circles. He held his right foot in place as he spun and attempted to stomp the life out of what his sister and I would consider to be an incredible work of art.

Benjamin is four months old. Two boys at the Butterfly Exhibit will be quite the experience. I'm sure I'll be laughing even harder by then... oh Lord, don't let me forget the joys of this!