Matthew and the Frog

Our story begins a few weeks ago....

Matthew was sent outside to water the flowers. Within seconds he shrieked and dashed inside the house. It took a bit to calm him down enough to find out what had transpired. He'd left his shoes outside the night before, and apparently when put his foot in his shoe, a frog jumped out and startled him. "I hate frogs. They jump out and scare people. That's not nice!" The little brown frog hopped away, and under duress Matthew finished watering the flowers.

About a week later he was again sent out to water. "What if the frog is in my shoe again? He might hop out to try to scare me," Matthew protested. "I bet the frog is long gone, Matthew. Besides frogs are nice. They eat bugs and pests. Look, there isn't a frog in your shoe. See?" I overturned one shoe, no frog. When I tipped over the other shoe, a little brown frog hopped out. Oops. Matthew began panicking again. "Matthew, I'll catch the frog and then you won't have to worry about him hopping around. You finish watering."

I caught the frog and made Matthew finish watering- under protest. The two little neighbor boys and Melissa all touched and admired the frog. They thought it was pretty cool. Matthew got close enough to look at it, but would not touch it.

"Bring in your shoes so the frog can't live in them."

Matthew got to thinking...

"But then the frog wouldn't have a place to live would he? He must like my shoes." More thinking. "Hey, can he have one of my old shoes that's too small to live in?" Sure. Matthew got his old shoe and put it by the back door. I let the frog go. "Mom, can the frog be our outside pet? Maybe you can catch him once a week so we can look at him."

Everyday for a week we checked the shoe. No frog. Matthew even watered the shoe so it would be nice and cool for the frog. No luck. Yesterday I saw this peeking out at me:

Matthew thought that was pretty neat. I think he's finally over his frog-phobia. Next time he even wants to hold it.