Goodbye, Tiny Turtle

A life lesson that this mother had nature, teach her young children, translated…

My husband and I loved taking our three young children to stroll at a nearby park.

Inside that huge park, there’s, life everywhere we’d looked, other than having the trees that offered us shades to stay under, to kick out the heat of the city, my kids loved the manmade pond by the side of the park.  There were, the schools of fish swimming in it, and, as the sun came out from behind the clouds, you will find the turtle, sunbathing on the rocks, and every now and then, there would be the little egrets, the Malayan night herons that visited.  And, the most often that we saw, were the, flocks of pigeons, that are, unafraid of humans, whenever someone’s throwing the pieces of breads, the breadcrumbs out, the flocks gathered and flew down, and, I suppose, they’re the only species, that won’t be following the rules of social distancing during the outbreak.

Another sunny day, the kids ran wild and loose the moment, we’d, entered into the park.  A little while later, my younger son called out to his older sister, to the stone steps by the pond, and added the water into the pond.  As they’d played on, my son took his son off, and used it as a scoop, and my daughter started, collecting the twigs, the leaves, the fallen fruits, to decorate this small heaven they’d come to find, the kids were, playing so happily.  Not long thereafter, my daughter hollered out for everybody to come look, she’d, carefully, opened up her palm, and there was, a tiny turtle, of about six-centimeter shell diameter in her palm.  The tiny turtle was so fearful it’d, not dared made a single move, and, the moment he’d, stuck his head back out from his shell to look, came the kids awe.

illustration from UDN.comreleasing the tiny turtle back into its, natural habitat!

As we were going home, I couldn’t, turn down my kids’ pleas, we’d, taken the tiny turtle home with us.  We’d, set up this platform in the tank we kept the rainbow fish, and put the lettuce leaves there, so the tiny turtle can rest, and eat there.  And, as the tiny turtle was out of its, natural habitat, it’d looked, very timid, whenever it’d heard the footsteps approached, it’d, hopped, into the tank to hide.  And right then and there, I’d, felt regrettable, why did I have to, take this creature out of its, natural habitat, just to satisfy my children’s, curiosities?  After I thought deeply, I’d told the kids my thoughts, and hoped that I can, take the baby turtle back into the park to release.  The kids were, lost in silent thought, and then asked, “Can we do it after school the day after tomorrow?”

The following morn, I’d asked my son, if he wanted, take that baby turtle back before I take him to preschool?  He’d thought a bit, then nodded.  Because my daughter is going to school earlier, she’d felt bad about not being there for the release, but still reminded us of where she’d found the turtle, and told us repeatedly, to put the turtle back at that specific location, that way, he’ll be able to, find his way home again.  And so, after breakfast, I rode on that parent-child bicycle out with my young son, headed out, all the way there, he’d, fallen, silent.  I’d asked, “Are you feeling sad, of letting the tiny turtle go home?”, he’d nodded, then I’d asked him, “You really, do like him, don’t you?”, “Mmmmm.”  “But, don’t you remember, how as we’d, approached him, he’d, hopped into the water too quickly, like he was, too scared.  Do you want to keep him in our home where he’s, unhappy, or would you prefer him to be happy, with his family close by?”, my son said, “I want him to be happy, I want him to be at home with his own family.”

a place like htis…photo from online

As we rode to the location that my daughter told us, my son scooped up the tiny turtle from the cup gently, placed it into the pond, we’d, squatted by the pond, and waved goodbye to him, the tiny turtle disappeared, into the pond in an, instant.

On the way to preschool, I’d asked my young son, “are you feeling, a bit happier, that the little turtle went home, and a bit sad, that you can’t, have him?”, my son said, “Mmmmmmmmmm”.  I’d, patted his head, told him, “Child, you know, this is what ‘love’ feels, like!  Even though you’d love that tiny turtle so, but you knew, releasing him, back to his family is, what makes him happy, so you’d, decided to take him back home.  You’d, considered the little turtle’s feelings, that’s loving him.”  Seeing how that smile started, coming back from the corner of his lips as I’d told him, as he’d, nodded silently, I knew, that my little boy, is, growing up!

than a place like this…photo from online

And so, this mother used the help of nature, to teach her young son a valuable lesson, about life, about love, and about, letting go, the child didn’t want to part with the tiny turtle, because he’d become, attached to it, but, seeing how the turtle didn’t feel happy inside the fish tank at their house, he’d realized, that releasing him back to the pond at the park was the right thing to do, and he’d, released the tiny turtle back, and that’s, real love, because when you love someone, you want what’s, best for that individual, even IF it’s not you that the person picks.