Kelsey was about 2 years old when she discovered turkeys. Live turkeys, not the ones we consume on Thanksgiving.
My uncle has a farm in southern Illinois and part of his livestock has been turkeys. Keep in mind that turkeys are surly birds and can be irritated very easily. My grandfather loved to tease those turkeys and observe the colorful results. They puff up their feathers, their gobbles turn a vivid red and they flap their wings to no avail. Turkeys are not birds of flight, however, they are pretty good at chasing you.
Kelsey watched Grandaddy Great in the pen with those birds and she was mesmerized. She couldn't get enough . . . as long as she was on the safe side of the fence. She wanted no part of being near the hen house and the pasture where the turkeys resided. And I have to admit it was quite a show that Grandaddy performed for us all.
Needless to say we returned to our home in Salt Lake City with stories to tell. Kelsey was pretty verbal and she chatted about those turkeys a lot . . . and how they were fighters and that she did not like those birds.
Striving for perfection in my parenting skills, I have been known to error in some of my techniques. I do what I have to do to make my life a little easier.
So as the story goes, I would ask Kelsey to do something and should she hesitate I would casually mention that there might be a turkey around and that he might be a little angry. Yep. It got immediate results and my request got an immediate positive response. I used this tactic for awhile until the guilt caught up with me and I changed my evil ways. It was fun while it lasted. I wish I would have taken a picture of her cautiously searching for those birds. Hey. Don't judge me. I was exhausted, pregnant with #2 and I did what I did to get through the day.
This may explain why Roderick's have so many issues. Blame it on their mother.
No comments:
Post a Comment