Shark Bite

Daniel has always loved animals, but he goes through specific phases. We've been through an alligator phase, a butterfly phase, a fish phase, a bird phase, and others.

Last week, we officially entered the shark phase.

In a specific scene from Madagascar 2, a giant shark chases after a tiny lemur. When the scene started, my husband and I rushed to get the remote and fast forward to the next scene... we thought it would scare Daniel. We were too late, but Daniel wasn't scared. In fact, he clapped with joy and asked repeatedly for "more shark!"

At Target last week, I picked up a thin paperback book on sharks. Even though it was written for much older kids, Daniel loves the photos and learning the names of the sharks. (He knows Mako Shark, Hammerhead, and ... Shamu. Ok, so one of the photos looks like a Killer Whale... I don't have the heart to correct him just yet.)

At the end of the book is a photo of a surfer with only one arm - she had survived a shark attack. We glossed over this the first few times, but curiosity eventually got the better of me.

Me: "Daniel, what happened to her arm??"
Daniel: "It fall down?"
Me: "No, it didn't fall down... what happened to her arm?"
Daniel: "It go bye-bye?"
Me: "Yes... Daniel, a shark bit her arm and ate it."
Daniel: (concentrating hard, staring at the picture with a concerned look on his face)... "It's ok... come here... I got you... I got you..."

He consoled the photo. He felt sad for her. How precious is THAT!?

It didn't last long. Now he turns to that page with glee and says "Shark eat the arm... go CHOMP!" And laughs.

I may have created a monster.

A quick update: Yesterday I asked him what happened to his arm (he has a bite scar from two months ago that we frequently discuss) and he started to say his routine "Troy bit me"... but stopped and said "Shark bite arm! CHOMP!"