What a Trip to the Zoo Taught Me About My Toddler’s Memory

2y 4m

This day, we were at the zoo. We have annual passes and go every few weeks or so.

We were inside the café, where there’s a giant window looking out into the tiger enclosure. We saw the two tigers we usually see when we go. But that day, we also saw a third tiger.

There was a smaller enclosure beside the main one that we never noticed before. We only saw the third tiger because it was sitting up on a perch of some sort.

She counted three tigers.

We continued our walk through the zoo as usual. Once we were outside, we passed the outdoor window that looks into the same enclosure.

This time, she counted two tigers. Then she asked, “Where are three tigers?”

She was genuinely confused. She remembered seeing three tigers. Now there were two.

I didn’t fully understand the depth of her thinking in that moment.

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