Boyzilla

My first email address ever was snailet[at]singnet dot com dot sg. This was because I had a propensity for snails. I spent much of my JC career doodling snails on everyone's notes. My best friend from college and I trademarked our snail doodles.

The real thing, I'm not entirely fond of because of the slime. But I do have a soft spot for them.

One of the first 'science' lessons the twins had watching how snails moved around and watching how they'd retract into the shell if touched. The twins loved looking for snails. They also soon learnt that they only found snails on their way to school if it had rained the night before or early that morning.

These photos were taken the first few times they chanced upon the snails last year and we would be late for school because they would insist on watching the snail inch across the walkway. I would be very stressed because I was constantly fearful that Evan would stomp on them. Jordan was much gentler about it although I suspect it had a little bit to do with how squeamish she was about the snails.



















Yesterday it rained the rain of the apocalypse. The drains were overflowing and some resembled water falls. Because of that, we took the twins down to have a look. Especially Evan because he loves flowing water in any form. And as we taught them last year, when it rains, the snails come out, they saw snails, all over the place.

Evan is going through a defiant phase where he tries to see how far he can push him limits. It is indeed trying. Packrat took Evan down first. By the time Jordan and I got down, Packrat was giving Evan a talking to. I later found out it was because Evan had stomped on a snail. And I couldn't help but exclaim when I heard. Of course, the boy was being self-righteous about it.

Packrat (teaching him empathy): You don't like it when people step on your toes right?
Evan: I want!
Packrat: It's cruel to step on snails.
Evan: Evan be cruel.

And so it went on.

It occurred to me then, that was what people were talking about when they said parents had to teach their children values. Not all parents would have made a big deal out of it.

I remember once, chasing a boy who was on a bicycle all over the void deck because he had chased a cat. He looked at me in terror as I stormed down at him. And looked as if he were going to pee in his pants when I asked him how he liked it as I chased him round the void deck. Then I told him that was how the cat felt. And if I caught him chasing the cat again, I would chase him all the way up to his house where I would tell his parents.

I also stare at parents and make "tsk"-ing noises when they stand by not doing anything as their children disturb cats or dogs and worse still, egg them on. Makes me want to yank them by the ears.

So quite obviously, every time I take a personality test, empathy emerges as one of my strongest traits.

And that was obvious from young.

My mother took me to see Bambi. When Bambi's mother got shot off screen, I cried and cried. When my mom asked me why, I said that Bambi had no more Mommy. My mom told me that the trees moved in the rain because trees liked the rain and were happy and dancing. She also told me that trees gave us oxygen so that we could breathe. When we saw a crew outside our house chopping off a big ol' tree, I scolded the crew and cried.

All this before my 5th birthday she proudly tells me.

Now, I need to figure out how to teach my Boyzilla that.

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