Eloquence....

There was a time when one of the people with whom I lived was a tow-headed eight year old named Thomas.  He was a quick study and widely notorious for a dedicated interest in mischief (probably comes from his Mother's side).


Thomas and I spent several mornings one spring watching a diligent robin convert four Aegean-blue eggs into baby birds. The nest, which hung on a low limb near our kitchen window, gave us a clear view of all the excitement.  The mother robin worked incessantly to feed her particularly vocal, new brood.

Leaving for school one morning, Thomas noted that there were only three birds in the nest.  Outside, we discovered the reason.  The tomcat from next door lolled beneath the nest playfully toying with the luckless fourth.  The coup-de-grace was imminent.  Thomas, of course, wanted to save the victim, but it was quite obvious that the damage had already been done.

I explained to Thomas that these situations were part of life and that cat and baby bird were just fulfilling their fates.  The cat was only doing what came naturally, and for Thomas there was a great lesson in life in all this. Thomas' wide-eyed look reassured me that the eloquence of my explanation had touched his heart and reached his tender mind.  Such moments make fathers feel invincible.  Off we went to work and school, father and son philosophically bonded for life....

His mother called later that afternoon...

 

She "was not amused"! 

... and was using that "what kind of father are you, anyway?" tone of voice.  Immediately and involuntarily consumed with guilt (you know how "difficult" a wife or the mother of your children - in this case both - can be!),  I self-consciously asked what had happened?  

It was Thomas.  Seems he had come home from school, rounded up the tomcat, pulled the nest out of the tree, and was happily preparing to feed the baby birds to a pleased, though somewhat astonished cat, when my wife arrived on the scene.

The scolding had ended abruptly, when Thomas assured her that I had said it was OK and then went on to advise her that perhaps...

 "There was a lesson in life in all this for her"...

Well..., so much for eloquence...