The Questions Kids Ask

I've just been laughing out loud at a post over at Creative-type Dad and it reminded me of my own dilemma during the week. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the kids were playing Power Rangers in the back garden (as you do) while I was gazing perplexedly at the weeds in my front garden, when all of a sudden both Power Rangers came storming down the hall to tell me about the cute little animal in the back garden! Apart from Oscar the big black feline, there should be NO cute little animals in our back garden so I went out to investigate.

Well it was an animal but since when has a MASSIVE DEAD RAT been cute?????

Big black feline must have had a hand in this I suspect but he was giving nothing away and looking the picture of innocence as he sunned himself in the middle of one of my flower pots (another gripe for another day!).

Back to the MASSIVE DEAD RAT! Both kids were crouched over him/her and Moondoggie asked if he could pat him!!!!! 'Because he looks so cute and soft Mummy.'

After screaming out 'NO!!!' and scaring the crap out of both kids, so much so that the Gidget nearly pitched forward on top of the MASSIVE DEAD RAT, I repeated it in a calmer voice and tried to explain why they couldn't pat the cute, soft, furry, MASSIVE, DEAD, RAT. They didn't get it. They still wanted to wrap him up in a blankie for God's sake.

I now realise that I should have just told them that both their arms would drop off if they touched it due to it being radioactive from living in the sewers for so long! We live and learn.

PS - Needless to say we did not venture into the Back garden again until Kahuna got home and 'disposed' of him.