If I had to pick two words to describe my daughter, I’d choose prissy tomboy. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true. On one hand, Mila is your typical little girl. She’s all about fairies, princesses, dresses, painted toenails and anything pink or purple. On the other hand, she loves playing cars with her twin brother and can tell you the difference between a digger and a bulldozer. She also has no fear of bugs and other critters that would send many little girls screaming.

One of Mila’s favorite outdoor activities is hunting for earthworms.  She doesn’t mind getting dirty. She scourers the yard in search of a worm, pulling up pine straw and turning over rocks along the way. When she finds a poor unsuspecting worm, she picks it up and giggles with excitement.  Then she talks to the worm. “I love you little wormy, worm. You so cute,” she says.

It’s a one-sided love story. I know the worms don’t share the same affection for Mila. I feel bad for them because it’s not an easy life being a worm in our yard.  Each day there’s the threat of being manhandled by a three-year-old.  I think all of those dried up worms I see on the sidewalk have surely died trying to make their escape.

Thanks to Mila’s quick feet and impeccable coordination, she’s gotten close (sometimes a little too close for my comfort) to nature this summer. In addition to worms, she’s captured crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ladybugs, rollie pollies and butterflies—all with her bare hands. This week alone she’s caught two grasshoppers. I am willing to bet she could probably catch a fly with chopsticks.

Her biggest catch to date is a frog. Yes, my sweet little girl, dressed in a pretty pink dress, wrapped her hands around a toad. It was a sight to behold. The most incredible part of the story is she beat out three little boys, including her brother, to catch the frog.

A part of me was quite proud of her for besting the boys. I only hope I can raise a daughter who always will be so confident and self-assured that she isn’t afraid to compete with boys or pick up a toad for that matter.

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