#18 Drawing Pictures. The Good Relationship Between Birds and My Son

My 8-year-old son has uneven development.

For him, as the language barrier is high, drawing pictures has become one of his tools for expression.

Every day, he diligently fills A4 copy paper with various drawings.

Since he seemed to be in a bird phase last week, I will exhibit those drawings. Please enjoy them along with the story about animals.

The other day, he really wanted to see a peacock, so we went on a long-awaited 'peacock pilgrimage.'


He walked back and forth in front of the peacock enclosure, bowing his head deeply to watch (observing), and stepping back to watch (observing); his demeanor was just like he was paying respects to a 'Peacock Deity,' a truly serious and earnest pilgrimage.

Please feel free to read the story I wrote before as well↓↓

Now, for the long-awaited peacock pilgrimage.
From there, he drew several colorful bird pictures with paints and a bird in a fruit hat. He also wrote his homework diary.

Since he was little, my son seems to have liked birds among all animals.
Whenever he saw small birds like wagtails or sparrows while out for a walk,
he would chase after the little birds with a serious expression, firmly gripping the ground with his small feet. Even now, remembering the sight of my little son makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Because he would chase after them without any strategy, just running 'tap-tap-tap,' the little birds would fly away immediately.
My son would look disappointed, but that part,
was just right.

Animals that close the distance, animals that come toward him, large animals, loud animals...
These were,
basically things he was not good with.
In that respect, birds are mutually harmless because they fly away into the sky as soon as a certain distance is breached.

We often go to the zoo, but his absolute favorite is,
the owl cage.

He spends over 30 minutes walking back and forth in front of the almost motionless owls.
Since my son is the one moving around restlessly, I wonder which one is the animal...

Unlike giraffes, koalas, or penguins,
the owl corner, which has few visitors and feels like a supporting role,
was one of the few places where my son could watch with peace of mind.

Owls look gentle, quiet, fluffy, and soft.
At some point...
It seems he developed a feeling of wanting to touch them! Wanting to hold and pet them!
So I took him to an owl cafe at a bird park.

As expected. He wouldn't move from the touch corner.
Because of his sensory sensitivities, he kept his gloves on while gently petting and admiring them.
Just as if my son were an owl too,
between these two motionless beings, a silent time flowed only in that space.

Like that, he favors quiet animals.

Zoos and aquariums should be interesting because you can see the difference between the living, moving creatures and the ones in picture books, but...

because he likes creatures that don't move much and stops his feet for a long time,

I end up thinking, 'Ah, I'm bored. I want to see the giraffes, I want to see the penguins, I want to see the dolphins...'
He is a person with different sensibilities than me,

so I am always reminded that even though he is my own child, his perspectives and preferences are different, and I should respect that.

Well then.

I am exhibiting other fruit hat series as well, so if you are interested, please take a look↓↓