Trust...

A while back, our family expanded by two when we brought home two little gerbils. We’d had fish and the kids enjoyed having a pet, so we set about finding a replacement. After much thought, we settled on gerbils. Easy to maintain. Inexpensive. Cute. You know… not a bad pick. 

Our first trip to the pet store yielded a ten gallon tank and all the necessary accessories. Once the cage was set up, we bought our little friends and brought them home. The kiddos were beyond thrilled. 

Naming the little munchkins proved interesting, but my daughter came up with “Mickey” and “Minnie”, and my son approved. And so it was decided. My daughter also decided that we needed a boy and girl, so that they could be brother and sister, just like her and her twin brother. As we weren’t planning to expand our little rodent family anytime soon, that was not going to happen. The better part of valor was to convince my daughter that Minnie really was a girl. Really…  Fortunately, the store employee played along like a pro. 

I knew the kids would enjoy them, and I figured that I would be somewhat ambivalent. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised by the extent to which my husband and I are enjoying them as well. They’re cute, and over time they have learned to not fear us. They sleep cuddled up together, frequently in plain sight. If we put sunflower seeds in our hands, they will eat right out of our hands, hunkered comfortably and nibbling contentedly. My daughter, especially, loves to sit on the floor while the gerbils play in her hands. Mickey has a tendency to nibble gently on fingers. We call it a “love nibble” as it doesn’t hurt a bit and our internet research tells us it’s a sign of affection. It makes my kids giggle. They are not afraid. My son likes to pet the gerbils and then laugh hysterically, claiming that the gerbil kissed him when it nudges him with a tiny nose. 

The other day, I was feeding the gerbils when it hit me. They are tiny. So very tiny. They fit in our hands comfortably, making them less than .5 percent of our body size. And yet they sit comfortably in our hands, eating their seeds without fear or concern. 

Now THAT is trust. 

It’s amazing, this thing called trust. As a mom, I see it every day. My kids trust me inherently. They know that the food I give them to eat will satisfy their bodies and that if they are in trouble, I will come running. They know that I mean what I say and I say what I mean… even when they don’t like the content of my message.

They know that I love them. Even when they aren’t being very likeable, and they know that I will ALWAYS put their safety first. 

I use the word “promise” very carefully. I never promise something I’m not certain I can deliver and frequently tell my kids that I don’t promise to deliver. I promise to try, but I don’t promise the result. As younger kids, they didn’t always understand the distinction. Now, they do. 

And so I’m taking advantage, using Mickey and Minnie as a teachable moment. We talked about how small our little gerbils are, and how big we are. We talked about how easily we could hurt them, directly or indirectly. We talk about how important it is for us to feed them and keep them safe. I know… they’re gerbils. But they are also a metaphor for life and how we treat others. 

We are not a religious family, but I do consider myself to be spiritual. I do believe that many of the lessons portrayed in faith/religion based stories are true and essential. You know, like valuing all God’s creatures. We have never told our children to value God’s creatures, but we have told them that all things that live will die, and that they can feel pain and sadness. That they deserve to be protected. (Except for ants in my kitchen. THEY deserve to be squashed. PLEASE don’t ask me to define the difference.) 

My daughter is an expert at saving caterpillars. She gets super excited every time she finds one, insists on picking it up and relocating it to a safe tree or bush. She takes pride in the fact that its family won’t have to be sad because it’s gone. The way she holds it gently, allowing it to climb over her fingers is beautiful. It makes me so proud. 

Because how we treat others in life is everything.