Territorial Creatures

Children can be territorial creatures.

More often than not...if I'm chatting with a spoken-for parent (either mother or father)...

Their children will soon thereafter trot over...throw her/his arm around his/her parent...

Nuzzle his/her face into parent's neck....and smile at me....

Or engage in some other equivalent behavior to mark his/her territory.

I find it amusing and almost interesting that the children considers me (everyone who took the attention of their parents) a threat.

The other day...hmmm....

A similar incident occurred with a twist.

I was walking down the street when I beheld a cousin....with her six years old son....holding hands from a distance.

I guessed it would be nice of me if convey my regards to my cousin....but as I am not a starter....

I mean I never start a conversation myself unless I find someone very very interesting and want to know more about him/her...

I gazed at the long haired mother as they neared me...and pretend that I didn't see her at all and tried my best to make myself prominent to her so that she can come to me.

...my cousin unknown to my utmost pretensions come to me and we start chatting freely and friendly.

The six year old saw me talking to her mother and immediately began swinging their held hands exaggeratedly....pulled his mother closer to him....and then gave me the eye(almost).

All the time I was trying to tame the child but he kept his distance....

Finally...we walked to our destinations without incident.

Again....amused....that I was considered a threat.

Indeed....children can be territorial creatures.

But then I think who else have such love for us?

To mark us....their own territory and to protect us from outsiders' eyes?

hmmm....children are beautiful...creatures...gift of Allah.