Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.
Alex and I have been reading about Frog and Toad lately. I don’t really remember Frog and Toad from my childhood reading, which probably means I never read about them (my early reader days were filled with Enid Blyton), but I really like the books we’ve read from the library: Frog and Toad are Friends, Frog and Toad Together, and Frog and Toad All Year.
One of our favorite stories in Frog and Toad Together is “Dragons and Giants.” In it, Frog and Toad set out on an adventure to try to learn whether they are brave or not. They encounter a scary snake who wants to eat them, an avalanche of rocks, and a big hawk. They finally end up back at Toad’s house, hiding and “being very brave together.”
Since we started reading this story, Alex has mentioned “being brave” a few times, something we had never really talked about before. When I clipped his nails the other night, something he hates, he told me afterwards that he was “being brave” – and he really did yell and carry on less than usual while I was doing it. (I’ll be grateful for small mercies where this is concerned.)
Today we visited a butterfly exhibit in nearby Norwich. We’ve taken Alex to see butterflies before, with mixed results. His response in the past has ranged from standoffish aloofness to full-force meltdown and refusal to enter the butterfly house. Today was different – he not only let the butterflies land on him, he encouraged them to. And he enjoyed it as much as the rest of us did. Sometimes being brave is about the little things.




