by Deidra Romero posted in Parenting

We?ve been watching a mama dove tend to her nest from our upstairs window for the last 2 weeks.
My son is 4 and my daughter is 1. Last summer was a blur with a newborn in tow. I vowed to make this summer break one to remember. We raised a group of caterpillars from tiny larva into Painted Lady butterflies. We collected beetles and worms and buried our beta fish in the garden after he died. We?ve gone on scavenger hunts and visited every local attraction.
And then this little nest appeared on top of our pergola. We watched as the mama bird built it. Then we watched her steady dedication as she sat. For days and days and days. She didn't leave that nest once ... that we could tell.
I watched her as it stormed and as the sun beat down so strong I thought she might leave. Instead, she nestled down in the wind and turned her back to the sun.
This mama and her nest became the highlight of our summer. I checked on her as if she was another pet. When the children weren?t even with me, I would peek through the shutters just to see what she was doing. I worried about her.
What if the babies don't hatch" What if they fall out of the nest and die right on our front porch with my children watching"
I was impressed by her dedication in a way that I can't describe. I feel a motherly solidarity with her. In these dog days of summer, I was starting to feel bound to this house in same way she is bound to her nest. If birds have emotions, I th...