The Snake Incident

Jeff killed a rattlesnake on the road to the lease. There are A LOT of snakes out there, rattlers in particular. It's just the way it is and we take precautions to stay safe. We wear tall boots, stay out of tall grass where we couldn't see a snake, and let Kate run around camp for a while before turning the kids loose to play. And of course, we've educated the kids on what to do.

We always teach the kids that if they see a snake, they must back away slowly and then run get an adult.  If they hear a rattlesnake but can't see it, they stand very, very still until they a) locate the snake, or b) it stops rattling. Then they take teeny, tiny baby steps away. It's a lesson that they've been hearing since they've been going out to the lease and we never miss an opportunity to reinforce this potentially life saving action with the kids.  

Since we had a dead snake**, we thought we'd use it to make sure the kids know what to do.  Without them knowing, Jeff placed it out in plain sight in an area where the kids love to play.  Addi, always aware, saw it from far away and we grabbed her up before she could yell out.  We really wanted to see what Jackson would do.  Unfortunately, he failed the test.  

He didn't even know it was there until he reached around to grab a handful of sand and grabbed the snake instead. He turned to look and his eyes grew huge. Poor little guy was scared to death. Turns out, he knows what to do if he sees a snake...just a matter of teaching him to pay attention to his surroundings. And that's an important lesson with life in general, not just in regards to snakes.

**Head removed to protect clueless children and careless adults/dogs.