Experience: I was attacked by a snake and a hawk at the same time
My husband, Wendell, and I own a few acres of land and property in Silsbee, Texas. On 25 July this year, we were mowing the grass; it was around 8pm and still light. I was in the back field driving a tractor with a mower hitched to the back, while Wendell trimmed the plot at the front. The tractor had an open cab with ashort canopy that covered my head, but not my hands. Apart from the occasional grasshopper, it’s rare for anything to get in. So when a 4ft snake fell out of the sky on to my arm, it took a moment to register what it was.
I tried to fling it off. Unfortunately, the snake had the opposite instinct – it wrapped itself around my arm and, as I swung frantically from side to side, it began striking at my face. I kept flinging my arm around, but its coils only tightened in response. I was screaming, “Help me, Jesus!” over and over. It was a hot day, and I remember thinking, “Is this how I’m going to go out – sweaty and dirty, on this tractor?” That’s when a hawk swooped down and tried to grab the snake.
I don’t think I really processed what was happening until afterwards. I’m usually good at keeping a level head in a crisis, but I was in survival mode, reacting automatically. So was the snake. Understandably, it didn’t want to let go of me, so as the bird attempted to lift it into the air, my arm was pulled with it. The hawk’s wings were flapping in my face, making it difficult to see. Its claws dug into my skin, and all the while the tractor was still moving forwards. The hawk took off three times without the snake, before finally dragging it from my arm on the fourth go, and flying away with it.
The whole incident probably lasted no more than half a minute, but I’d been screaming throughout. My husband had heard me, and as I stumbled from the tractor, I saw him running towards me. Wendell says I was hysterical and that he couldn’t make out what I was trying to say. But he could see that my arm was covered in blood, so he killed the tractor’s engine and bundled me into our truck.
As we drove to the local ER, he asked me again what had happened. “The snake!” I said.
“A snake did this to you?”
“No, no – the hawk!”
Once Wendell understood that a snake had fallen out of the air, it was hard to fathom where it had come from – the field is open land, with no trees. Eventually, we worked out that the hawk must have dropped it in the first place. I’ve seen this happen before – a raptor will snatch up a snake, fly high into the air and drop it on a barbed-wire fence to kill it. Perhaps this hawk had lost its grip, or miscalculated.
By the time we reached the hospital, I could barely see out of one eye, but that problem was solved by removing my glasses – the right lens was smeared with snake spit or venom. Once my arm was cleaned up, we could see it was covered in cuts and abrasions caused by the hawk’s talons, and bruises left by the snake. I had no idea what species either was, I only knew the snake had been dark in colour, and the hawk was brown and white.
There was some concern I might have been bitten, but I’d experienced a snake bite on my other arm two years before and knew how painful it was. On that occasion, my blood pressure had gone way up, my arm had turned black and purple, and I was affected for a month.
This time, I was given antibiotics, sent home and told to watch out for unexpected developments. The pain got worse as the adrenaline wore off, and I didn’t sleep that night. In the weeks after, nightmares kept me awake. I’d relive the incident in my dreams. A few months on, the cuts are still healing and I don’t know yet whether there will be permanent scars. There have been positive consequences, though – our local congressman presented me with a flag and a proclamation for fighting off danger, and someone in LA wrote a song about it, which was pretty cute – my daughter showed me the video on TikTok.
We’ve bought a new mower, too, with a longer canopy. I’m taking no chances – we stuck a sign on the top, which can be read from above. It says: “No snakes.”
• As told to Chris Broughton
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The pain got worse as the adrenaline wore off, and I didn’t sleep that night. In the weeks after, nightmares kept me awake. I’d relive the incident
thin peninsula bordered to the east by the Gulf of Mexico and to the west by the Grijalva River, has been historically susceptible to hurricanes, though it has been the ferocious fronts in recent years that have devastated the village.
Experts say that in a year’s time, the entire village could be underwater.
“There is no way that the members of the community will be able to stay where they are now,” said Pablo Montaño, the general coordinator of the Mexican environmental activism group Conexiones Climáticas. “In the past year alone we’ve seen 30 metres of the shoreline disappear and the ocean overtake a block and a half of homes and the school.”
An aerial view of abandoned homes in El Bosque. Photograph: Pablo Montaño
Along the eastern side of El Bosque, the destruction of the village is clear as the foamy Gulf of Mexico tide crashes into remnants of decimated concrete homes and the fractured walls of the abandoned school. The one wall of the school that still stands displays the letters of the alphabet and a whiteboard with multiplication tables written on it.
After the tide reached the school last December, classes were moved across the street to a ramshackle zinc shack with dirt floors, where students’ classes have been reduced from full time to two one-hour lessons a week.
“It’s impossible for our kids to continue learning in conditions like this,” said Guadalupe Cobos as she surveyed the sand-covered desks in the shack.
Destroyed buildings on the shoreline
School furniture lies covered in sand in the school shack and, right, the remains of the old school building. Photographs: Conexiones Climáticas
Cobos, 46, who has lived in the village since 1986, says her children now commute to school in the town of Frontera, a 15-minute drive from El Bosque. “Not all the kids in El Bosque have this option,” she says. “So many no longer go to school at all.”
After the ocean swallowed Merlin’s home, he and his family took refuge in the village church, where they have been living since 2021. The family and the hundreds of other residents who lost their homes, are among a growing number of Mexicans displaced by the climate crisis.
“We are now migrants in our own country,” said Cobos. “The government says they will assist us with relocation, but we’ve been hearing that for years.”
Displaced residents of El Bosque. Photograph: Gustavo Graf/Pablo Montaño
In February and again in May, Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, was asked in his daily morning press conference about the government’s plans to provide housing for the residents of El Bosque. López Obrador, who is from Tabasco, in the same state as El Bosque, said the village’s emergency was “being attended to” by the government.
El Bosque’s inhabitants, however, are losing faith that help will arrive. They say they have been told by government agencies on multiple occasions that they will be relocated, but those assurances remain unfulfilled.
The Mexican government is “looking to offer an adequate housing alternative for the families affected by climate change” in El Bosque, the national housing commission, known as Conavi, told the Guardian by email.
A sign hangs on a line with the words ‘How do you imagine your home/school?’. Photographs: Conexiones Climáticas
Children’s drawings of houses hang on a line. Alongside the drawings are the words, in Spanish, ‘How do you see the sea?’
“Land is required to relocate the families,” Conavi wrote. “At this moment, a definitive location has not been defined and various options are being explored.”
Conavi said the federal, state and municipal government “will attend to the needs of the community”, adding that “the relocation process isn’t a linear or mechanical process where each of the steps is defined”.
In the meantime, residents of El Bosque live in fear that the next hurricane or major front of rain and wind will wash away the few remaining homes still standing.
“We might be the first community affected by rising sea levels in Mexico, but we won’t be the last,” Cobos said. “Climate change is in our homes, our streets and our schools. It’s here to stay, and it’s time for us to go.”
The tide laps trees and the remains of a building. Photograph: Gustavo Graf/Pablo Montaño
There are basics to follow, such as shaving after a shower when the skin is warm, and not shaving against the grain to avoid irritation and ingrown hairs, and using a soothing balm afterwards. “A weekly shave will probably suffice to start with, but remind them not to share razors,” says Pomper. Those with curly or coily hair types may want to shave less often, ensure their blades are extra sharp and could consider a shaving oil to soften the hair before shaving. If you’re unsure, seek advice from an expert, particularly if your teen is transgender.
You dye your grey hair. Why can’t I dye mine?
Though the beauty norms dictating that women should dye their hair as soon as greys appear have changed significantly in the past decade, many still do. If you’re one of them, how do you explain to children why you’re doing so? Vyas-Lee advises being transparent, and keeping the conversation going as they get older: “Be truthful that your body and hair change as you get older, and while some people embrace it, others prefer to delay. Both are fine as long as it’s your choice and there is no pressure, shame or guilt.”
However, you could make them aware of the role gendered ageism plays in beauty standards for women. In 2021, researchers found that women who let their hair go grey naturally were viewed as less competent than those who dyed it, while for men, becoming a “silver fox” is a mark of distinction.
Try exploring things like this with older children as a discussion, rather than a lecture. “Talk about the pros and cons – ask them their thoughts, bring up role models and let them lead it,” says Vyas-Lee. If you impose your own ideas too strongly, you may end up with a more difficult relationship.
If children are going to dye their hair, it’s best to wait until after age 12, or they may risk getting allergies. So, hair chalks and temporary colour sprays may be more suitable for younger children. Many schools have a zero-tolerance policy on dyed hair, so summer holidays could be the perfect time for teens to explore.
If you suspect they want to dye their hair because of peer pressure – or bullying due to gingerism, for example – listen without reacting. “You might want to scream ‘you’re pretty, too’, but, instead, be curious,” says Alderson. You could suggest they follow influencers with their own hair colour or speak to others they trust who have the same colour hair, to help them see past their immediate reactions. This approach would also help children feeling the pressure of Eurocentric beauty standards to relax or straighten their curly, coily or afro-textured hair.
‘I look prettier with a filter. Can I have cosmetic surgery or tweakments?’
Studies have shown how social media can trigger children to dislike their own bodies, and one recent survey revealed that nine in 10 children are exposed to toxic beauty content online. So, how do we talk to children about the impact of filters?
“You could start by taking a picture of something simple and looking at it with your child. See what happens when you edit the image with reshaping, filters, and brightness,” says Yassin. You can also explain how algorithms work to push certain kinds of content at them, how influencers are paid to promote certain things, and how excessive scrolling can affect their mood,sleep, and self-esteem.
If the conversation turns to them wanting to change how they look, remember it’s a criminal offence in England to administer botulinum toxin (Botox) or injected fillers for a cosmetic purpose to under-18s. As for cosmetic surgery, Dr Omar Tillo, medical director at Creo Clinic, says: “Aesthetic procedures on under-18s should be considered carefully and are usually done in exceptional circumstances, pending psychological evaluation.”
Tillo advises giving children a safe space to express feelings and concerns. “Use open-ended questions, such as: ‘Can you tell me more about why you’re considering cosmetic surgery?’ or ‘How has this been affecting you?’ Reflect back what they share to show active listening, and use statements like, ‘It sounds like you’re feeling …’ or ‘I understand that this is important to you’.”
Children might focus on the result of a treatment and ignore risks and complications, so Tillo says: “Ask ‘How do you think this will change your life?’ or ‘Have you considered how you might feel afterwards?’ I say it’s normal for young adults to have concerns about their appearance, but emphasise the importance of making informed decisions.”
Carris adds: “Suggest people they could follow on social media who might help them normalise the issue they’re struggling with, and impress upon them how uniqueness is celebrated. Try to be honest and open, and talk about your own vulnerabilities – what they are often looking for is intimacy.”
Just ensure your words and actions match: “Young people can sniff out fibs from a mile away. If you tell them they are beautiful as they are, but then go for an appearance-altering treatment, it can create disbelief and distrust,” says Yassin.
Photographer’s assistant: Harry Brayne; hair, makeup and grooming: Sarah Cherry.Models: Lily (main photograph) wears jacket from River Island; Noah wears vest by All Saints, trousers by Asos; Olivia wears sweatshirt by H&M
If you are worried that bullying is affecting your child’s mental health and wellbeing, seek help from their school, a medical professional or a charity such as parentingmentalhealth.org
If you’re on a diet, try to talk about how you want to feel healthier rather than how your body looks