Go Green!

I wish I could tell you we did all sorts of good things for our world today to celebrate and promote Earth Day. We did recycle Jacob's empty milk jug and I did actually bring a bag to Target to avoid using the plastic bags (except that I ended up buying too much stuff at Target, like always, and ending up having to use the plastic bags because it didn't all fit in my one reusable bag... next time I'll know better). I even watched Oprah's special on Earth Day while running at the gym. That's about as far as we got. Next year... we will try harder, I promise.

So while you think this post is about going green, it's really about Skippyjon Jones. Skippyjon Jones is cat. The problem is that Skippyjon Jones doesn't think he is a cat. He wakes up with the birds, thinks he looks like a dog, and dresses up in a mask and cape for the Chihuahuas. The story of Skippyjon Jones ends like this:

At night, when Skippyjon is supposed to go to sleep, he bounces on his big-boy bed.
"Say good night," calls Mama. And she gives him a kiss.

That's it. Every time we read this story (which right now, is every five minutes because Jacob loves it and loves the flash cards that come with it), I am bothered by the end of this story. There is no moral. No conclusion. What happens to Skippyjon Jones? Does he accept himself as a cat? Or is he adopted by the Chihuahuas?

This evening, as we read this story over and over and played with the flashcards, I finally had a revelation about Skippyjon Jones. It doesn't matter what he is at this moment. At this moment, he has his mom who gives him a kiss before bed and loves him for being whatever he is.... a cat, a dog, a bird. And that's exactly what Mommas are supposed to do.

And when Jacob doesn't want to hear about Skippyjon Jones anymore, or play with the flashcards, or listen to me tell him about my moral of the story, he does what any little tot would do.... he throws them in the basket.