Ricki has long had a love-hate relationship with animals. As I posted yesterday, Ricki at age 4 was VERY hesitant about even approaching a large cardboard box with 2 chicks inside.
Not long after that, hoping that caring for animals would help Ricki develop some responsibilities, and some empathy, I endured a whole winter of gerbils in a cage in her room. (I write “endured” due to the smell………) But she was too scared to do anything really helpful, and I discovered quite quickly that this gerbil bit.
By age nine she was willing (at times) to come near smaller animals, but was much more hesitant about the larger ones.
Since then, she has always had a rather ambivalent relationship with anything alive on four legs. She enjoys watching from afar, but generally is terrified if they come too close.
Not long after that, hoping that caring for animals would help Ricki develop some responsibilities, and some empathy, I endured a whole winter of gerbils in a cage in her room. (I write “endured” due to the smell………) But she was too scared to do anything really helpful, and I discovered quite quickly that this gerbil bit.By age nine she was willing (at times) to come near smaller animals, but was much more hesitant about the larger ones.
Since then, she has always had a rather ambivalent relationship with anything alive on four legs. She enjoys watching from afar, but generally is terrified if they come too close.
[This may partly be due to a HUGE 
dog that, trying to be friendly, knocked her down (at age 4) on our way home from speech therapy.]
dog that, trying to be friendly, knocked her down (at age 4) on our way home from speech therapy.] One of her older brothers (who is renting his own room) bought a dog about half a year ago. The next time he babysat for Ricki, he took her over to his flat. “Gosh, You would have thought I’d purchased a lion.”, was his wry comment on Ricki’s reaction. Half a year later, she was looking forward to seeing the dog on her visit to her brother… at least from a slight distance, though. 
Yet, despite all that, she got up the courage two years ago to try horseback riding when we visited my parents. Which all goes to show you, that Ricki is just as complex, just as unpredictable, as all the rest of us.
Yet, despite all that, she got up the courage two years ago to try horseback riding when we visited my parents. Which all goes to show you, that Ricki is just as complex, just as unpredictable, as all the rest of us.
1 comment:
I love that last picture of Ricki on the horse, she looks great! That should be framed and hung in her room.
and it's very interesting, because I had gone horseback riding when I was younger, and wasn't afraid. But I seem to be afraid of all other animals. And like Ricki I like watching them from afar. I used to hate the zoo, but then I started liking watching the monkeys and other animals so long as their in a cage or behind a gate.
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