Cicadas

I took Troy to the park today just to let him get out of the house for a little bit. It was still pretty hot, but at least the park is covered by trees. The shade definitely helped, and God was kind enough to send some cloud cover too. After the perfunctory climb backwards up the slide, Troy started wandering around picking up sticks, looking at ants, and checking on the fake owl that lives on the fence. I happen to notice a discarded cicada skin stuck on a nearby tree. Seeing a teaching opportunity, and hoping that Troy might find it cool, I brought him over and pointed it out to him. 

His first response was to run in terror. But after I pulled it off the tree, and showed him that it meant no harm, he got more curious. First, analyzing it as it rested in the palm of my hand. Then, getting more bold and picking it up. After that, he wanted to run all over the park, finding more and more, peeling them off the trees and carrying them around. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon, and Troy was able to overcome another fear and learn something new.