Lessons from a Frog

I am used to being the cool dad, having things go my way. But last night, all of that changed...and I think everything is going to be just fine.

About a month ago my child came home with a frog. The scene was straight out of a children's book. She had a shoebox poked full of holes. Inside was a stick, a few rocks, a handful of grass, and what we later determined was Fairy Frog. As soon as we got home we outfitted Fairy Frog in a brand new king-sized box, freshly stocked with natural surroundings. She even got her own pool! The habitat was fit for a queen, and I even pondered for a moment that if only I would kiss the frog, perhaps she'd turn into that beautiful princess I had been looking for. Alas, the thought was fleeting and there we sat with the frog.

For four weeks we catered to this frog, occassionally heading out to the front yard to turn over a stone or two in search for a few worms. I learned that rollie pollies are not only a tastely treat but are also no where near extinction. Blame it on my bad mood or maybe my sensibility, but one day I finally had enough. "The frog has got to go," I declared! Who wants to live a life stuffed up in a box anyway? You would think that this line of reasoning would appeal to her better nature, but my little girl wanted nothing to do with it.

Needless to say, I went from super dad to super dud in about three seconds. Despite her pleading efforts, I held my ground and we found a nicely shaded area in the flower bed. For the next several hours, the world might as well have come to an end. We even had to call one of her friends so she could tell her how horrible life was (she's only 5 for crying out loud...is she really pouring her heart out on the phone already?). I got a good scolding from the other 5-yr-old on the other end of the line.

We quickly found another distraction (Disney's Enchanted) and life seemed to be back to normal. Believe it or not, the frog was still there the next morning, huddled under the same little plant. Maybe that was its way of letting us know that change sometimes comes slowly. When we got back home that afternoon, the frog was gone and my daughter seemed to be pacified by the thought that the frog was out looking for worms.

We've all but forgotten about Fairy Frog and my daughter is back to chasing boys. Maybe the frog wasn't that bad afterall. I've learned a lot from Fairy Frog. I've learned to hunt worms; make a cardboard box into a rain forest; and I've learned that sometimes we have to let things go. It might be hard at first, but eventually...life goes on.