Thomas, Ducks and Unfortunately Pigeons

Thomas, for some odd reason, has a fascination with birds. Don’t get me wrong, I think birds are cute but I don’t consider pigeons fitting into that “cute” category. Pigeons are gross, they are ugly and they give me the willies.


Not Thomas. He LOVES them, and I am not exaggerating. When we see them in a parking lot he wants to chase them down and give them a kiss and a hug. He sees them and makes the same kind of sounds adult women make when they see a really cute newborn baby. There have been many times when I have heard him squealing with delight while looking out the window because he sees a pigeon that has graced our backyard with its presence. Little does he know how gross they are.


Thomas and I have started a new tradition. Every Thursday we go to story time, Sonic and then go feed ducks at the park. It is a lot of fun and I look forward to Thursdays because it is our “special day.” Today we had gone to story time and Sonic and it was time to go find some ducks. I was going to stop and get a loaf of bread because I had forgotten some from home. However, I chose to be lazy and just grab the Gold Fish crackers from the diaper bag. I did not think the ducks would be too picky.

I decided to take him to one of the little lakes around here. We opened the door and were immediately inundated with birds. There were Ducks, Pigeons and some little black birds that kind of looked like a cross between the two. Thomas was thrilled and I was totally disgusted (just with the pigeons). The birds were clamoring for those gold fish and Thomas was having the time of his life. I kept trying to get him to throw the crackers so the birds would not get so close, but he would not have anything to do with that method. He wanted them up close. They got as close as they could without touching him. They had no fear of him whatsoever, it was as if he had become the little Pied Piper of Pigeons. Believe it or not, this outing ranked right up there with Christmas for him…maybe even higher.

Eventually he gave out all his fish and it was time to go. He got into the car and kept telling me how much fun he had and about how much he loved the little birdies. What was I doing while he was basking in this glory? Hosing him down with hand sanitizer.