Goldie

Yesterday at the dentist, LD found a baby caterpillar (about half an inch long) in the doorjam of the office. He immediately swooped him up and named him Goldie and declared him his friend. He brought him home in an empty water bottle and made a nice little home for him in his bug jar. He told me how much he loved him and how well he was going to take care of him. I looked up his species while LD read a book to him which he called cartoons (Here's some cartoons Goldie...) as he read him "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. It was a fast intense friendship. At night, I told him he had to go outside because he was so small that he could get out of the airholes and i didn't want him lost in the house. LD said he was sending his caterpillar to preschool (the front steps) just for a few hours so he could get his work done.

In the morning, a very sick LD woke up and went running outside for Goldie, gathered him up and ate breakfast. I told him he was going to stay home because his cough was too bad in which i got a great big smile and was told that i was the best.

Later, LD took Goldie to have some fun in the sandbox. He sat him down on the ground next to him while he played. Then Goldie did the unthinkable, he went down a crack. LD came in screaming and crying. My friend is going to fall. He's too little. He's going to get hurt. He's so small and i need to take care of him. I said he has strong legs and he'll climb back up when he's ready. I was wrong. He fell. LD cried so hard. We went looking for him but couldn't find him. I convinced LD that he was okay. That bugs are strong and can handle falls. He said I was wrong. He killed his friend and he started bawling. I'm not talking little crying, i'm talking wailing.

ALL.DAY.LONG he's cried intermittantly, has boycotted food until his friend comes back to him because he love's him so much. I convinced him to go out to the sandbox this evening and he came in crying and said "I can't. I'm just too sad. I only want Goldie." Sigh. This poor kid. I've told him that Goldie is safe, better off in fact because he has his mommy taking care of him and he'll come visit us when he's a butterfly. The kid won't buy it.

I can't believe the crying. It's so strong and intense. This kid is in love with a caterpillar. I've never seen him act like this.