The Lion and the Wildebeest

As often as possible, I try to get down on the floor and play with Troy at his level. What this means; however, is that I end up on my hands and knees, crawling away from him. I go as fast as my tired, old knees can carry me, but obviously I’m not as fast as Troy is running on his two legs. So, he easily overtakes me. But that’s not the issue. The issue is taking me down once he catches me. Since I’m twice his height and more than five times his weight, he has to be creative and determined.

What he usually ends up doing is throwing himself at my hind end, trying to grab me around the hips. His wingspan is not long enough to encircle me yet, and though he tries to squeeze me and hang on, I can always wiggle free and crawl off. He’ll give pursuit again, catch me, and try again. The whole thing reminds me of those nature documentaries we love to watch, where the lions are trying to take down a buffalo or wildebeest. Going solo, they usually have as much success as my son does.

The only times when he manages to have any luck is when he runs at me from the side and rams me at full force with his entire 30 pounds. It’s enough to knock me off balance, and then he can pounce on top of me! And I become the slow, weak wildebeest casualty that couldn’t keep up with the herd.