Poor baby! I am referring to both Julia, and her little cat. An orange stuffed tabby that her Aunt Terra gave her 2 years ago. This kitty has been everywhere with us. Even to Spain when we went in '05. Well tonight was a lesson in "tough love", for both kitty and Julia.

Joe and I were in the living room last night and Julia comes running in in hysterics. Big fat tears running down her face and talking so fast we couldn't understand her 4 year old words. She just kept saying, "kitty hurt! by the fire! Kitty hurt!" of course, the word "Fire" sent both Joe and I running, asking Julia (much like we would Lassie) "where's the fire, girl?" She takes us to the candle i had burning by the sink in the bathroom, then tearfully points at kitty's now burnt nose. Apparantly Julia was "showing" her kitty the fire and letting kitty smell the pretty scent of the candle, and 2 whiskers and part of kitty's nose got singed.

It was a hard lesson to learn. Julia kept asking for us to "make it white again" and hugging kitty with a death grip. she was still crying profusely...she really really REALLY felt her kitty was hurting and  in pain and was so upset she had put her cat through it. it broke my little mommy-heart!! Me being emotionally based wanted to immediatly put her out of that emotional pain and let her know that kitty was not in any pain. Joe, (the logical thinker of the family and who is gifted seeing the bigger picture than just things at hand) gave me the "look" to let him go first and began reafiirming exactly what happened to kitty, why the fire did as it did, and why it is so important to treat it respectfully. It was a hard balance of a lesson to teach, this is why fire is so dangerous, yet kitty is absolutly fine, but don't you do it because you wouldn't be fine, but yes kitty isn't in pain, but you would be if you did it....not in such words, but you know, it was hard not to be contradictory.  

After the little talk Julia and I put a band aid over kittys "owie" singed brown nose, and then spent another 10 minutes talking in depth about scars and how they don't hurt, but they serve as reminders. poor Julia. it was a hard lesson for her to learn...and let me tell you, she has been babying that kitty just as much as i would had one of my own real baby's been injured. She is such a compassionate child.