Butterfly Awry

Sometimes my mothering ideals fall short of the mothering realities. For the last two years we have ordered caterpillars and watched in awe as they slowly transform into butterflies. It is one of those delightful hands on science lessons that I always dreamed of sharing with my daughter. This year, after a month of patient waiting we finally saw our dear little painted ladies emerge from the chrysalis. Persy was just as fascinated with the life cycle as me and I foolishly let her lay on her belly one day and watch our butterflies while I did a little cleaning. When I came back to check on her two minutes later I was alarmed to see her smashing down the butterfly container! When asked what on earth she was thinking she shamelessly replied, "I died them!" Needless to say, I was not a happy mother and our science lesson of the day turned into a rather solemn affair.