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 Surprise! Surprise!: Zander and The Snake
Our home is a happy one. With four small foster children ages 3 and under, two of which are infants, our little home is always lively and bustling. There's never a dull moment, and I
wouldn't have it any other way! My four kids are the best. They are happy, caring, smart kids who spend their days playing, learning and wanting to help Mommy with dinner, or
one of their siblings to put their socks on.
Our oldest child, Daniel, is 3 years old, of Vietnamese descent and is a very curious child indeed. He will definitely keep you on your toes! The next in line is Zander, who is two
years old. He is a sensitive little boy with big, bright eyes and auburn hair who currently spends his days in and out of the obscure realm of potty training. He is followed by Christian, the 10-month old baby we are hoping to adopt, and
whom we've had since birth. And last, but certainly not least, comes Alexis, or Lexie as I've called her since she came to us at 5 days old, a sweet African-American baby girl, now 5 months old. Daniel and Zander came to live with us in
December of 2001, when they were 2 1/2 years old, and 18 months old, respectively.
 Our day's events usually range from funny happenings to strange occurrences, to time-outs, to loving Eskimo kisses, and time set aside for learning ABCs. We have a dog named Outlaw
who has three legs; he is missing his front left one. He is a very active and friendly dog, and the kids love him immensely. He has no idea that he is what some would call handicapped. He can do stairs in record time! We also have some exotic animals, which keep the boys very intrigued. There is Herbie the Frog, a Pac-man frog which has grown to be about the size of a small saucer, and there is Lucy the
king snake, who is about 4 feet long and 2 inches around. Daniel likes to watch Lucy and sits by her aquarium watching her move all around. However, Zander is another story. Zander
has always been very interested in Lucy and Herbie, but he hasn't quite warmed up to touch or pet them yet. He looks at them closely, if someone else is holding them, and he likes to talk about them and show them to visitors.
One day in the middle of September, right around the time that the hot, humid summer days began to decline and make way for the crisp, cool days of autumn, Zander was playing with
Daniel in his room. I was cooking dinner and was expecting their Dad home from work any minute. All of the sudden, Zander turned the corner into the dining room and was coming
up to me very quickly. I could tell he wanted to show me something. In his little hand, he held out a long, rubber snake, which I had bought for them last year because it resembled our live snake, Lucy, so much. He looked so excited and
was happily waving it around in the air, shouting "Mommy, look!"
I looked over, saw the toy and asked him, "Hey Zander! You have Lucy?"
He looked at me with a shocked expression. Then he slowly turned to look at that rubber snake in his hand. With lightening speed, he threw that snake as far as could and
ultimately jumped back about 2 feet! That little boy has never moved faster! I wanted to laugh, but I managed to hold a straight face. I explained to him that the snake he was holding was just a toy, and took him over to show him that the
real Lucy was still in her cage, safe and sound. He seemed to understand, but he wouldn't hold the rubber snake for the rest of the day!
 Some of you may be thinking that you wouldn't touch a live snake with a ten-foot pole! I'd always said I'd never have a real snake as a pet in my home. Then, a few years ago, before
we decided to be foster parents, my husband and I, along with our two exchange students, sat down and discussed getting a neat, exotic animal. We had already had fish, birds, rabbits, a raccoon, iguanas, a chinchilla, frogs, dogs, toads,
cats, and a duck, among a few other small animals. After much deliberation, we finally decided on a king snake. They are non-poisonous, very docile creatures, and they look
non-threatening in their appearance, in my view. I even named her Lucy to help her seem even less menacing. And she has turned out the be the best pet!
Ever since we got Lucy, we have had a total of eight exchange students live with us. All of whom, mostly girls, loved that snake and never once were scared of her; not to mention
all of their friends who visited and were always asking to hold her. Therefore, since she has done so well with all of our teenagers and with us, we have felt very safe with her. I think its a great thing for young children to have access to strange and interesting animals as they grow up. They can learn of the life cycle from an up-close view. We also hope to have many more interesting animals for
them to learn from in the future! After that day in the kitchen, my little Zander plays with the rubber toy snake with no problem, and he seems to like the real Lucy a little
more now, too. Guess he just needed more time to get used to them both!
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