Reason 1. My friend Max asked to post my writing to his blog, to which friend Eve said, "That's cool, but get your own already."
Reason 2. Dream writing job that I would be perfect for required blog.
Reason 3. Made mamablog-related vow two months ago. And just because I've never kept a new year's resolution before... well, see reasons 1 and 2.

So here we are. And, since we are here, let's talk about YouTube and the Fox, which is what we will call my almost two-year-old son. We have so far avoided what the pediatricians call "screen time" and what so many mom's who are just as desperate (and way more mentally healthy than I am) call: The Babysitter. I am talking about TV. I am talking about Owls sinking their talons into fuzzy little mice, eviscerating said mice and eating them whole. I am talking about video wildlife, pixelated red in tooth and claw.

You may have guessed from the moniker that I am trying to raise a little boy who loves and understands the wild even more than I do... in fact – and I've never said this out loud before – I sometimes fantasize that if I take him outside often enough while his little nerves and nodules are wiring up, he may learn to be multilingual. After all, they say that languages are easy to pick up at this age. They say sign him up for Spanish or Chinese. And, forgive me for being just a little bit wind-in-the-willows here, but couldn't he learn, for example, what crows are saying? What trees mean?

And, really, couldn't he do some of this through YouTube?

Because, when I said that we've avoided screen time, I wasn't counting YouTube wildlife videos. Just a couple. A couple a day, sometimes. But then we act them out. As in this theatrical review of an amazing Australian “ water holding frog,” which, according to National Geographic, buries itself in the mud for two years or more. So. Picture us laying on the bed with a plush frog stuffed animal. "The frog buries himself in the mud" (inching frog under the blanket) "And he goes to sleep" (Holding down blanket while the Fox impatiently tries to move this show along) "And then it rains and he," (favorite part coming up here) leaps out. He LEAPS out." And much leaping ensues.

Cute, right? The first fifty times. So then I show another, different video, ‘cause mama needs a change of pace. And thus it begins. He loves it so much it’s scary. Points at the laptop and shouts “Hog! Hog!” Or whatever.

On the one paw, I want him to learn about and love animals and frankly between the Seattle rain and the general lack of close encounters with the wild in the city, this is pretty awesome. Also, it solves the problem posed by lack of the concept of “gentle.” Even when we handle the worms in the garden, the casualty rate is high (see my piece on friend Max's blog. He also writes great short stories) and I can’t help it, I wince.

And on the other paw, we are walking on the wild side on YouTube. What's a wild mama to do?