Snakes in the yard

Earlier this summer, we got a phone call from our neighbor telling us they’d spotted a copperhead snake in their backyard, heading toward our backyard. We were out of town at the time, which was good because I likely wouldn’t have allowed the kids back in the yard for at least a week. It was a scary thing knowing a dangerous snake was in our sacred space — the space where we’re comfortable letting our kids run free and unsupervised, knowing they’re safe and protected: a gate surrounding the yard, nothing sharp, soft pine straw under the swing set, etc. And here comes a snake invading our little safe island.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a picture of us, our kids and the world around us. Just like all parents, we want to safeguard everything for our kids as much as we can. We talk to them about strangers and dangers and not to accept candy from anyone they don’t know. We tell them to look both ways before crossing the street, to not run away from us in a crowded space, to listen, obey and not run with scissors. But when it comes down to it, snakes can still invade the yard, and we can’t do anything about it. We can’t even really protect our kids from them. Well, we could make them wear head-to-toe rubber suits or barricade them indoors where (presumably) nothing bad can happen, but where would that leave us? With scared, overprotected kids who don’t know how to tell good from bad, safe from unsafe, helpful from harmful. 

Those of us who are worrying about our kids and praying for our kids started out as kids just like our own, and we all ended up mostly okay — and our parents were just as worried for us as we are for our children. Sure, overall things may be scarier today than decades ago, but the basic concerns were still there. Our parents took care of us, showed us right from wrong and good from bad, said a bunch of prayers, then sent us out into the world. And here we are, doing the same for our kids. 

When we got back in town, I wasn’t even sure how to go about ridding the yard of a poisonous snake that hadn’t shown itself again. Plus, the creek behind our house had flooded since the snake was spotted, so I told myself it was gone, flooded out of our yard by the water and hopefully sent way down the creek, along with all its snake friends. The next day, as I unpacked and reorganized our life, Kate and Sela wanted to play in the yard. I poked around in the bushes for a few minutes with a long stick, trying to scare away anything still there, and then said a prayer and let them out to play. 

I’d love to connect! Email me at LaurenKDenton@gmail.com or find me on Twitter @LaurenKDenton.