the things a mother does

you may look at this picture and say...what? you killed bambi? or....what you let taylor kill bambi's momma....
well....yes i did let taylor kill bambi's mother...the sweet deer that i watch each morning and evening...the deer i feed corn to daily....the mother's of the babies that were born in my backyard...i don't imagine ever taking down a deer with a bow...i don't imagine i would do it with a shotgun either.....however.....
my son loves it..he comes by it naturally...both of my grandfathers were hunters....in the hills of new york and pennsylvania they would go out each season and bring home a doe and a buck..string it up and they would have meat for the rest of the year..when taylor was around 13 i sent him to my brother rich....rich loves to hunt with his son garret...i knew taylor wanted to hunt and as a single momma i didn't have a clue....so off to pennsylvania/ny to hunt with rich and my brother in law scott....i remember him calling me to tell me he shot a deer...he was so cute...i asked if he cried and he said...."no mother....it was awesome" ...he was born with the passion...and as a mother you want to encourage all the right things your kid is born with....it might not be something i like but it is something he likes...so i tried to make available hunting experiences along the way.....
he came home this week to bow hunt...he sat up in the trees for hours each morning and each afternoon....at 7pm last night he called from the tree and said...i got her ma......
so after 45 minutes of waiting time...in my nightie and hunter boots i trudged through the woods in search for the deer.....it was pitch black with only the little flashlight..and i had my hand on his belt loops the whole time as we followed her trail........we found her and i helped him gut her( i held her leg) and then he dragged her to the car and off to the processor we went....home by 10pm....
what a neat time...mother son time....is it something i enjoyed??.....well??....yes...in a way...i love taylor...i love that he loves life, enjoys hunting....i love what he knows about nature, habitats, animal behavior....i love how he yells at me to use my inside voice when i am outside..i loved that he called me and told me he got a deer while sitting up in a tree...i love how he carefully gutted her and took care to drag her to the car....i love how he included me...i love that we can share these times together....
do i like to hunt??...no....do i feel sad about the little deer??...yes....do i love tate??....oh yes...do i love the experiences we share??....you bet....
oh the things a mother does.....