Toddler carries a dead cicada everywhere she goes—even to the dentist—and it's so sweet
This is the stuff you simply can't prepare for as a parent.
It's not every day you see an emotional support cicada.
There are few things in this world more delightful than a child's imagination. Once in a while, we get a clear glimpse into that world when a kid does something that makes us scratch our heads and smile ear to ear in equal measure.
For instance, when a toddler finds a dead cicada and adopts it as a beloved companion.
Mom Izzy Wherry has been sharing her 2-year-old daughter's adventures and escapades with a cicada corpse that are hilariously endearing. The little one found a dead cicada in the family's yard, and for an entire month has been bringing him along with her everywhere she goes. He gets baths, he gets swung on the swing, he has his own remote office outside where he types on his little computer keyboard, and more.
He goes to the park, he's gone on a camping trip, and he even went to the dentist, where he lay next to Wherry's daughter on the dentist's chair as if he were an actual emotional support pet.
People are celebrating the girl's creative and compassionate care for her formerly-living friend as well as the cicada getting to live his best afterlife.
"He's lived a full life since he died 😂"
"Would you still love me if I was a dead cicada?"
"It's going to be the ring bearer on her wedding day."
"If he only knew how loved he is. 😂"
Many people expressed how beautiful it is to see a child just being a quintessential child. Some parents would never let their child carry a bug carcass around like this, but it's clear that this lone, dead cicada means something to this kiddo. Cicadas are loud (when they're alive), large and tough (the fact that he hasn't fallen apart yet is a testament to that), but it's notable that she's so careful and gentle in the way she handles him. Wherry confirmed that her daughter knows that the cicada is actually dead, but she still uses her imagination to bring him to life, which is both hilarious and sweet.
"I absolutely love her imagination and creativity!!!🩷😍😇"
"This so sweet and so innocent. Almost a shame they have to grow up."
"This is sooooo precious i love when parents let their kids be unapologetically kids ❤️"
"My daughter littered our home with rollie pollies and named them all MR. She collected rocks as well in all of her pockets. Wash day was a bit crazy 😂"
"My daughter found a dead ladybug and she made her a jacuzzi from a walnut shell...with saliva..."
"iPad kid ❌ playing with corpses ✅ maybe there is hope for the new generation."
in a world where parents are constantly battling television and tablets and other screen-based technologies, it's lovely to see a child engaging natural play inspired by the outdoors. Carrying around a dead cicada may not have been what her parents had in mind when they took their kiddo outside, but that's the beauty of children engaging with the natural world—you just never know what they're going to discover, create, collect or become attached to. Seeing a child's imagination in action is a fleeting privilege, and to capture and share it with others is a wonderful gift. Thanks to this family and the dead cicada for letting us into a little one's world for a while.
You can follow Izzy Wherry and her daughter's cicada adventures on Instagram.