"it was just a cat"

My daughter Aliyah, eight years old last friday, snuck into the house through the patio door in my bedroom. She then snuck into the bathroom and didn’t turn on the light. When there’s this much sneaking going on, as a parent, you know to be very suspicious.

Aliyah on her 8th Birthday

I found her washing a thick coating of mud off her hands, mud caked to her clothes. I told her to get straight into the shower and turned on the water. She groaned, I don’t understand her aversion to showers. In mild frustration I reminded her that she chose to get all muddy. 

She protested, “I didn’t CHOOSE to get dirty! Anna said she saw a baby tiger, so I HAD to go see it - turns out it was just a cat - then I slipped in the mud and Got all dirty.”
“You still need a shower,” I said. 
Remember, kids, if your sister sees a baby tiger you should definitely go check it out, but it will likely just be a cat.