There are no Monsters in That Cave

Children's minds are fascinating, no doubt.

I love how if you watch them, and allow them the space to explore, they almost always come up with ways to cope with their own fears and anxieties.

Saturday, we went to Cave in Rock State Park, where there was a cave, a big beautiful cave, a deep dark cave, a kind of ... little bit ... scary cave.

Our little guy, not yet two and a half, was anxious about it. He decided that there might be monsters in that cave. We took him inside. We carried him. We held his hand. We told him it was okay. He touched the dank walls, and then he relaxed immediately when we took him back out of the cave.

I am not sure how he got the idea of monsters in a cave in the first place, but he stayed stuck on the idea. The whole way home, he told us about the monsters. He told us over and over again. But then, on his own, he said, "when I get home, I will paint a picture of the monsters in the cave. Mommy will help me paint the monsters."

And sure enough, he did.

As soon as we got home, he went straight for the art drawer. He painted this picture and talked a lot about the monsters. By the time he was done, he had decided that there were "NO Monsters in that Cave." The monsters were only on the paper.

I just simply think this is fascinating. It isn't surprising, but it is fascinating.

He is still thinking about monsters some. When he woke up from his afternoon nap yesterday,he said within minutes of being awake, "I was thinking about monsters in my nap."

So, I suspect monsters will be in our conversations for awhile. What they are doing and what place they hold in his mind are the real questions to ponder I suppose.