The Things We Do for Our Children!

By Guest Blogger.

Have you ever heard of the term “mama bear”? Of course you have, you’re reading this blog. Let me tell you a little story involving this mama bear that happened over the course of the past week.

My significant other and I each have a child. We used to have a cat. I don’t like cats. Well, it’s not that I don’t LIKE them. I’m allergic. And the litter box smells. And you must vacuum twelve times a day.  And your toddler just loves it SO MUCH that they think it’s okay to squeeze it to death. The meowing… I just can’t.

Over the summer our cat disappeared. S.O.’s child was so upset, they went out in the woods searching for him every day, multiple times a day. To be honest, I learned to not mind the cat so much… it learned to hide pretty well and just stay out of the way, and it didn’t scratch. We also bought an air purifier so as long as I didn’t touch the thing, my allergies were fine. So when the cat disappeared, and didn’t come back after about four days, it was a tad concerning. I convinced myself that it was coming back. It didn’t. (Actually, we were petrified that a bobcat ate it.)

A few months ago another cat just showed up on our deck one day. My immediate response: NOOOO. No. Just no. Well, this cat just kept coming back everyday, and it liked us. I came home and the cat was on the deck, and when I let myself in this cat took it upon itself to strut right into the house and immediately made itself at home, by jumping on the couch and curling up for a nap. What the ?!?! Well, I guess we have another cat. This time, though, S.O.’s child wasn’t so into the cat, but my toddler certainly was. I mean…. my toddler is legitimately obsessed with this cat. It’s quite hysterical and I’ve just given up on constantly telling my child to leave the cat alone. Apparently it likes being put in a loving headlock.

We had a snowstorm this week, and the night before it hit, the cat went outside. I do have a soft spot for this cat; it’s short haired and reminds me of my cat I had growing up. She’s pretty cool and she doesn’t scratch my kid, so we’re good.

The cat never came back before the storm hit. It didn’t come to the door with its screeching meow like it usually does every morning at 6 am.  And it did not come back when the storm was over that night, nor the next morning. My child started asking where she was. Well, crap. I can’t exactly tell my kid the cat’s out in the field chasing mice.  So I started to go out in the sub-zero arctic weather every half hour or so to call for it. I shook the bag of cat treats. I clapped. I even built a little shelter with a box and blanket to make her come back up on the deck. I checked the barn, the garage, under the cellar. A few hours went by and I started to panic. Temps were supposed to drop A LOT that afternoon and the cat had already been outside for 2 days.

Well…. That morning I changed as a person for my child. My child, who loves the cat JUST SO MUCH that tears of love and joy happen on a daily basis, was about to lose the cat. For good. So- I, of ALL people (and my own mother can vouch for how shocking this is), geared up in snow pants, snow boots, a ski mask, everything, to go search the woods. I didn’t make it 10 feet from my driveway when I heard the meow. The cat was underneath the deck. Stuck. Because the snowdrifts blocked the only gap to get underneath.

Here comes Mama Bear:  ABSOLUTE panic, rip off a section of lattice on the deck, full army crawl to where the cat is shaking uncontrollably in the farthest corner of the deck, grab cat, somehow get out from underneath the deck (?!?!), run inside because its negative 15 outside, and in. Never, ever, ever in a million years did I ever think I would do this for a cat. A CAT. But my child LOVES THIS CAT more than anything in the world and there was no way I was letting it disappear.

Our cat is fine. She ate three full plates of food, warmed up in a pile of blankets, and will most likely never attempt to go outdoors again.

But my child is so happy. The kitty is home and the kitty is fine.

You’re probably wondering what the hell this post is doing in a family court blog.

If you are a mother, you have Mama Bear instinct. You may not know it yet, but you have it. If anyone or anything messes with your child, even Mother Nature messing with your child’s cat—you will go to any and all means necessary to keep your child from hurting- physically or emotionally. Guess what? This also applies to Family Court.

To anyone out there who is doing anything to harm, mess with, hurt, do ANYTHING wrong to a child, mentally, physically, emotionally, what have you—you better watch out. Because that child’s mother is ALSO in court, and believe me, Mama Bear will come out. For some mothers, this instinct overtakes you immediately; for others, it takes a bit of time to lose your patience. I promise you, 95% of the time, if you’re messing with a woman’s child to benefit yourself or hurt your ex, you are going to lose. It might take longer than you’d think, but even judges see it; this is nature, it is instinct. Mama Bears don’t play games; they don’t need to.

Moral of the story- you never know just how strong you are or what you are capable of until you HAVE to be that strong. Mama Bears: don’t you dare give in or give up. These are your cubs, and you have to stay strong for them. If you don’t, who else will?