I Really Am a Mama Bear

Ever have the fear that if your child was threatened you might not sacrifice yourself? What if a raging fire comes at you and all you can do is run to save yourself? That's the Mother's nightmare equivalent to standing in front of a crowd without your pants.

I've always assumed that I would protect my children with my life, but how could I really know if it's never come to that yet? Would I really turn into a mama bear protecting my cubs instinctively?

Well, last night I came up against a teeny tiny scorpion and I won! I'm fine; don't worry.

Mya called for me at 4 a.m. and even though I really didn't want to go to her, I did. I still don't know why she called for me actually.

She was uncovered so I assumed she was cold. When I pulled up her covers from the bunch at her feet, a black insect raced beside her body from her foot up under her pillow. Eeeeewww!

Without thinking (that's the instinct I was hoping for), I gently pulled Mya up and scooped the bug onto the floor. In the tussle, he stung me on my hand. But I got him good with the letter "Q" book laying nearby. Mama Bear!!

"What was that?" Mya sleepily asked and I simply answered "Bug" and left it at that.

I had always heard the Alabama scorpions aren't like the deadly ones out west. I had heard they give a minor sting like a wasp's sting. I was about to find out if the rumors were true.

Sure enough, it was minor. But, having never been bitten before I was a little nervous once I felt the bite. What if I reacted badly?

Even though it hurt much less than the mud-dauber bite I got last week, what if infection set in sometime later and my finger fell off? What if some Arizona scorpion got lost?

So far, the digit is intact. I took a picture - somewhere in the v between my index and middle finger is a tiny scorpion bite.

Disregard the scar a little lower down on the fleshy part of my hand - that was a battle I waged (and won) against an avocado.