My baby has an obsession. Animals.
I noticed it a couple of months ago when I watched as he would follow the cat around the room smiling the whole time. But, then it became even more interesting as I saw him practically lunge for a dog at the park trying to get to him. If you point out a picture of an animal, he smiles instantly and almost laughs. He loves them.
But, if you live in my house, where we have a very finicky cat that loves you one minute and is trying to bite you the next, then it can make things very interesting!
Lately, now that he is more mobile, my little man likes to crawl around the house after her. I cringe every time he gets close. It is usually just as the cat has come inside, laid down and gotten comfortable that he makes a bee line for her. He is squealing with delight and the cat is looking at him with her usual attitude of indifference. But, then he starts grabbing her feet. I am worried about the day that she gets fed up and bites him. I know it will happen.
So, in the mean time, I try to minimize their time together and I am on high alert when the cat is in the house. She also spends a lot of time outside, which is nice, but I can’t leave her out all the time. My husband is a little braver. He sits by the baby while he is trying to “pet” the cat in his 9 month old way. He holds his hand and shows him where to pet the kitty. It is probably a good way to teach him to be soft, and not to grab and squeeze (his usual way of exploring his world), but it still makes me nervous.
Animals are unpredictable, so I’m worried that his love of them is going to get him in trouble one day. I guess I just have to keep teaching him how to treat animals, and to be soft, and hope that all will be OK. That is about all you can do as a parent, anyway.
I wonder if this obsession will continue for my baby. After all, babies are just little people with their own unique view of the world. Maybe he will be an animal lover his whole life. Time will tell.