I tried, I really did...

Have you ever made a mistake, a miscalculation that you didn't realize until it was too late? It's a little embarrassing to admit it, but this happened to me last week at the fishing event. Dh and I split up, with him taking Bitty to rest and wind down for a bit in the shade while I took Bearhug to fish. Cuddlebug was nearby in the bouncy house.

As Bearhug and I approached the fishing area, I saw the cooler filled with bait next to the fishing rods and realized my mistake.

Someone was going to have to bait Bearhug's hook.

That's dh's job, I don't do worms. Ick.

But dh was too far away now to swap. I pondered the best way to handle things as we took our rod and bait over to find a spot to fish.

I know... I'll talk Bearhug through it. ;) He tried, but couldn't quite get one of the wiggly worms out to attempt hooking it. Thankfully, there was another dad nearby who offered to help him. (yay, thank you!)

Whew! Dodged a wimpy-mom bullet that time. We didn't catch anything, so there was no need to hook a second worm.

A while later, it was Cuddlebug's turn. Only this time, there was no one else nearby to help. Again, I tried to talk Cuddlebug through it.



Due to his sensory issues, he didn't really want to touch the dirt. He tried digging for a worm using a piece of dried grass that he found nearby. Unfortunately, dried grass is pretty flimsy so it wasn't working so well.

I took a deep breath and offered to help him. After all, I'm a mom of three boys, I should be able to handle a few little worms, right? (For the record, I have no problem seeing worms, and could probably touch one for a microsecond w/ no problem, but the idea of holding onto a wiggly worm just freaks me out).

I gave myself a mental pep talk, running through a list of "tough" things I have done in my life. I gave birth to three children, for one thing, two in one day even (hehe)! I climbed up and walked on the ropes in the trees with my fellow MBA students (darn skippy I did! heights always look so harmless until you get up there...). I held my friend's boa constrictor in middle school and I wasn't even afraid of him (then again, snakes aren't actually slimy)! You get the idea... surely I could handle a measly little worm, barely the size of my finger. Right?

I steeled myself and plunged my finger into the dirt, wanting to get this overwith as quickly as possible. And I happened to pick the Bruce Willis of worms (yippee-ki-yay!). I'm serious, he came flying out of there (causing both Cuddlebug and me to jump) and landed next to the little tub of dirt, doing a fierce "you-wanna-pieca-me? FREEEEDOM!!!!" worm dance.

Now, I'd like to think that had that worm just flopped calmly I could have handled touching him long enough to hook him. But what self-respecting worm would go down without a fight?

Cuddlebug and I were crouched on the ground, staring at the worm. I was about to try poking it with the hook without actually touching it, when a kind grandfatherly man appeared behind us and asked if we needed help.

YES!! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! is what I was thinking. What I actually said was a little more nonchalant, "Sure, I'm kind of new to this..." Ya think? :)








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