It's a great image isn't it? Picture it - a mother bear, overheated and sweating, growling bearing her teeth while swatting at what ever comes in her way. It may not be the image I want related to me most times, but recently it's one that seems to fit!
Someone messed with my cub and I am one pissed off Momma Bear!!
I have had to take a chill pill - in this case a few deep breaths and a couple hours mulling over how to respond. Because I didn't want the person I would be swatting at to go on the defensive. I just wanted him to go down!!!
I'll let you know the result.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a totally different picture of this Momma Bear, one of her cubs is about to leave the den. She's been through this before when her oldest cub left the den for the woods at Wabash, so she has been fooling herself into thinking that the second cub would be easier. Hell no! Many times lately this Momma Bear has had to retreat to her private den to wipe the tears or clear the lumps from her throat.
It's a sad reality - we raise our children to leave us. And if we've done a good job of readying them for the world it's likely that they're good kids - you know the kind you like to have around and not the kind you want out of the house sooner than later. And my cubs (so far) have been good kids - and now Matthew has one foot out the door and is so, so, so ready to be a Tiger at the woods of DePauw. And I want that for him, I really do. But I can feel the space he will leave empty in our den and tears well in my eyes.
(I had to take a little break there to wipe my eyes!)
While it is sad to watch them leave, it is incredibly joyful to watch them become the people they will be. I love talking with my cubs - and marvel at the adults they're becoming. And that is what I will hold on to in the coming months - that and the fact the Matthew, like his brother, will occasionally come back to the den.
It's bound to be an emotional couple months!
Someone messed with my cub and I am one pissed off Momma Bear!!
I have had to take a chill pill - in this case a few deep breaths and a couple hours mulling over how to respond. Because I didn't want the person I would be swatting at to go on the defensive. I just wanted him to go down!!!
I'll let you know the result.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a totally different picture of this Momma Bear, one of her cubs is about to leave the den. She's been through this before when her oldest cub left the den for the woods at Wabash, so she has been fooling herself into thinking that the second cub would be easier. Hell no! Many times lately this Momma Bear has had to retreat to her private den to wipe the tears or clear the lumps from her throat.
It's a sad reality - we raise our children to leave us. And if we've done a good job of readying them for the world it's likely that they're good kids - you know the kind you like to have around and not the kind you want out of the house sooner than later. And my cubs (so far) have been good kids - and now Matthew has one foot out the door and is so, so, so ready to be a Tiger at the woods of DePauw. And I want that for him, I really do. But I can feel the space he will leave empty in our den and tears well in my eyes.
(I had to take a little break there to wipe my eyes!)
While it is sad to watch them leave, it is incredibly joyful to watch them become the people they will be. I love talking with my cubs - and marvel at the adults they're becoming. And that is what I will hold on to in the coming months - that and the fact the Matthew, like his brother, will occasionally come back to the den.
It's bound to be an emotional couple months!
Matthew at his kindergarten Halloween party.
When the chill-pill wears off.......RIP 'EM TO SHREDS MAMA BEAR!
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