SJM: Different, but the same

My daughter loves nature and science books. I’m a writer, so this perplexes me.

There is a vast world of children’s literature that I, as a reader, would much rather explore than learn about the mating habits of orcas, the many varieties of house cats or the unique properties of volcanic lava.

I bought Charlotte’s Web for my daughter long before she was ready, and recently introduced her to the wild world of Roald Dahl (which she likes, but is not obsessed with as I’d hoped). No matter what I do -  each time she brings a book home from the school library, it’s detailing some aspect of the natural world.

And I wonder, how can we be so different?

I’m sure this divide started when I wanted her to take up the charge for families experiencing domestic violence.

She was all of about four. And I decided we were going to have a gingerbread house-making party. I asked our friends to bring money to participate, and then we’d make a big donation in honour of everyone we love to the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter.

Except my daughter didn’t get it. When it came time to hand over our shoebox stuffed with cash, she latched on to it with an iron grip.

“Mine,” she said to me, red-faced in the lobby of the shelter’s admin office.

I smiled my best perfect-mommy smile, and gently unfurled her chubby fingers from the beaten-up box’s edges.

“No, sweetie. This is for the mommies and kids who need help when they’re sad.” I handed the box over to a gracious, patient woman, and then ran from the office so no one would witness the melt-down of my greedy four-year-old and my subsequent dethroning as the picturesque socially-conscious young mom.

I had dreamed of this moment. Her cherubic face would light from within as she handed over our donation with both pride and humility. Much like the moment when she discovers the literary genius of Charlotte’s Web, I’m still waiting.

To add insult to injury, she’s also become obsessed with Planet Earth. Ya, I get it. The scenes are stunning, the information endless. But come on! I’ve spawned a scientist, and it scares me.

Except that she surprised me the other day. She came downstairs from watching a PE episode with tears in her eyes. Between blubbers, she spit out random facts about the snow leopard’s impending demise.

“Mommy! We have to do something to help them,” she said.

And I breathed a sigh of relief.

Does it really matter what she cares about, as long as she cares about something?

Guest Blogger: Heather Setka is the Social Justice Mommy.  Her SJM blog is featured weekly.  Currently, Heather is the editor of the Weal, SAIT's student campus newspaper.