In order to scare Naomi

This six weeks of homeschooling, I've got a unit on farming planned. Farming books, farming crafts, poems, art, etc. It's a good time of year for it, since there will be baby animals at some of the field trips that I've planned, we're planting our own garden, etc.

The only thing I forgot to take into account was Naomi. I was thinking, "Oh, fun, we'll go to these farm field trips and see the baby animals and the new growth and the tractors and the...whatever else we'll see." It was a good thought. Most kids would LOVE field trips like that.

Today we did a little mini-field-trip to kick off this new section. We went to the zoo, which has a family farm section. As soon as we headed in that direction, Naomi began to get upset. "I don't want to see the cows. I don't want to see the goats. I don't want to see the cows."

Of course, the cows were the first thing we encountered. They're not usually, but today they were in the petting area (closed for the season, but highly visible) while their pen was being cleaned.

"NOT THE COWS! NO, I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE COWS! NO, MAMA, NO, MAMA! I WANT TO GO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!!!!!!" The poor kid is screaming and clinging to the stroller. Needless to say, Hannah went up to see the cows and Naomi didn't.

Then we moved on, relieved that the cow obstacle had been passed. But more was to come.

As we headed further into the family farm area, she started in low with, "I don't want to see the goats. Mama, I don't want to see the goats." Naturally, I wasn't going to force her to see the goats. But we had to go that direction to see the OTHER animals. I tried to explain this to her, but the terror of goats apparently is too much for explanations. "Not the GOATS, Mama, NO! Not the GOATS, Mama! MAMA, MAMA, NOT THE GOATS! NO I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE GOATS! NO!"

At which point I veered off into the chicken and rabbit area. We had a lovely few minutes with chickens and rabbits, then visited the fake cow that kids can pretend to milk -- this one is okay -- saw the barn owl, the donkeys, and the kiosk with videos.

Then, a zoo attendant came up and said the fateful words, "We're bringing the cows through here, so you may want to stay to the side." And the cows followed almost immediately. There was no time to race to cover. The cows -- 2 miniature panda cows -- were coming through.

Naomi began to panic again, although we had moved as far as possible in the short time allowed. And then one mooed. Immediately she covered her ears and began to cry, "No! I DON'T WANT THEM TO MOO! I DON'T WANT THEM TO SAY MOO! NO! NOT THE COWS! I DON'T WANT THEM TO SAY MOO!"

As soon as the cows were out of the way, we revisited the fake cows, chickens, and rabbits (in order to leave on a positive note), then hurried past the goats without looking, and then our field trip was at an end.

Leaving me wondering about other field trips that I'm hoping to go on. How much fun will it be for the rest of us to have Naomi crying, screaming, and panicking at each new animal? Mmmm. Not much fun.

And wondering what the other parents -- and zoo workers, for that matter -- thought about my cow-phobic child. She has in the past mentioned her belief that cows eat people, and we've tried to dissuade her of this idea -- I'm not sure we've been successful -- and we don't threaten her with cow-related retribution for bad behavior. But it sure looks like we do, doesn't it?