River Plains

It has been raining a lot in the afternoon lately and plans to go out tend to go awry. But after the downpour last Sunday, I was adamant to take the little girl to the river at Bishan-AMK Park and so to the river we went.

I think the last time we went to Bishan-AMK Park was a year ago when the little girl had a playdate there with her friend, Sofie. But that was at the other half of the park known as Pond Gardens, where there's a waterplay area. This time, we headed to the part of the park known as River Plains.

I was surprised at how bustling the park was. Not that we've been to many parks, especially on weekends. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant surprise to see many joggers, pet owners walking their dogs, and parents with their children. It was a really nice sight on a Sunday evening.

To get to the river, we had to walk down a grassy slope, which the little girl gamely did. She didn't want to hold my hand and I was surprised at her balance as the slope was rather steep. As we reached further down, the ground started to squelch under our feet due to the heavy rain earlier. It sounded like a perfect time to reenact We are Going on a Bear Hunt!

So after we swish-swashed through the grass, and squelch-squerched through the mud, we finally reached the river bank. There were a few children in the water with little nets, trying to catch fishes in the river. I thought the little girl would be a little apprehensive but when I asked her if she wanted to go in, she immediately said yes. So I hiked up her leggings and in she went with her papa.

I so love this picture of them holding hands in the river

They walked to and fro in the water, looking at small fishes in the water and dragonflies buzzing around above the water. She asked if she could remove her slippers and I couldn't allow her to. I didn't want her to hurt her feet on the sharp rocks. Later on, she came to me asking if she could change into her swimsuit so that she could swim in the river. I had to say no again as the water was so murky. 

After she was done splashing and sploshing in the river, we went back up the slope and was greeted by the sight of four cute bunnies hopping about freely. The little girl was so happy and excited to see them and wanted to touch them but they were too fast for her. I later found out that the rabbits were Netherland Dwarves. 

One of owners heard that the little girl had kept asking me if she could carry the rabbits and so she asked if the little girl wanted to. At first I didn't think she would be ready so I declined the offer and thanked her. But then when I thought again, I told myself that I shouldn't underestimate the little girl. I shouldn't force her when she doesn't want to do something and I shouldn't stop her if she has requested to do it, provided it's not potentially dangerous.

So I went to the owner and asked if the little girl could carry a rabbit and she chose a gentle one that was white with black spots. She said that the rabbit's name was Lashy and she liked to be carried, unlike the rest. She asked the little girl to remain calm when she placed the rabbit on her chest as she said the rabbit could hear the little girl's heartbeat and might react if she panicked.

I supported the rabbit's bottom for her and the little girl was surprisingly calm. She stroked the rabbit's back and the rabbit went close to her face to sniff her. I told her that the rabbit wanted to kiss her and she smiled. We then returned Lashy to her owner and thanked her for her generosity.

After that, the little girl just couldn't stop talking about Lashy and it went on for the next few days. She even wanted us to call her Baby Lashy for a day or two and went everywhere with her rabbit plush. Just like how every turtle that she sees now is a Snappy (there's a story for that), now every rabbit is a Lashy. So if anybody were to ask why she's calling a rabbit Lashy, well this is the story that I would tell. As for Snappy, that's another story for another time.