So Cute When It's Little

We met this little fellow at a rest stop in the middle of Utah's canyon area on Interstate 15.
He waited patiently as we focused our camera. Didn't dash away, like we feared he'd do any moment.
He must be used to people.
He's so little and cute.

The other day I went to the Denver Zoo with my daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The reptile house always awes me. I'm so glad there's a thick sheet of glass that separates me from those pythons and pit vipers.
Monitor lizards can get really big, like six to eight feet long. Did you know that?
They start out cute, just like that lizard in the picture.
But if some predator doesn't gulp them down when they're small, they keep growing.
Then they're not so cute.
Yesterday I stood in line at a supermarket.
An adorable toddler pushed by my legs and gleefully perused the candies and other treats displayed for the purpose of last-minute impulse buying.
I've been tempted by those treats, myself. "Gee, I won't have dinner made for at least another two hours. Maybe I should buy a butterfinger to tide me over. Or two, or three."
Anyway, the little girl would not be deterred by her older siblings who warned her not to pick up any of the candy bars. She grabbed a kit-kat bar and tried to stuff it into her too-small pocket. Finally, Mom intervened and took the candy and put it back.
I felt sorry for the little tyke when her mother took the candy away. She was so little and cute. She didn't even understand that she was stealing.

Like most wrong-doing, when it's small, we kind of think it's not too serious, maybe even a little cute.
The lizard and the little girl don't seem too threatening. But when they grow up, the lizard might bite off your hand, and the little girl might steal cars.
Thank the Lord, the monitor lizard is restrained by zoo-keepers.
And the little girl has a wise mother who is training her, from childhood to respect other people's property.