Friday, April 25, 2008

The Ugly Bug Ball
I don't like to pass my fears onto my kids. If they are afraid of something, I want it to be through their own experiences, not mine. I have bent this rule a tad when it comes to bugs. Not just any bugs... bugs that bite. Such as Black Widow spiders and fire ants.
Some bugs just gross me out, but I can't think of a good reason for her not to touch them. Yesterday is a perfect example of this...
Baby Girl: "Mom! Come and see what I found"
I knew by the tone of her voice that she was more than a little bit excited.
Me: "What is it?"
BG: "I found them! Oh, aren't they wonderful? Look at these lovely little fellas!"
Me: "Show me what you found..."
From that moment on I'm suppressing gasps and gagging noises as she opens her little fist to reveal two maggots. That's right people MAGGOTS!
BG: "Aren't they beautiful little white worms?"
Me - frantically trying to think of a reason that she shouldn't be holding these and coming up with NOTHING: "Yeah. They're great. You need to put them back where you found them."
BG: "But WHYYYYYYY? They are my friends!!"
Me: "Um... because... well, um... their family will miss them! They need to go find their mommy and daddy so they can be happy!"
BG: "OH NO! Their mommy and daddy will be so sad! I'm gonna put them back, okay Mom?"
Me: "Okay..."
I'm still shuddering at the thought of it. I went outside to see where they might have come from and couldn't find anything, thank goodness! Later on in the day she found a caterpillar and I was good with that...
What about you? Are there things that your kids enjoy but it makes you crazy?

14 comments:

Mandy Abbott said...

That's great! I love how you didn't freak out and told her their mommy and daddy would miss them! Yikes! I'm lkie you when it comes to that kind of stuff. I let them decide what they like and don't! Hailey is the girliest of girls but she loves bugs and spiders. She held a HUGE cockroach at the museum we went to. She asked me if I wanted to hold it and I said I would hate to take any time away from other kids that would want to hold it!!!

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Emma loves spiders. She tries to pet them, and I have trouble not wincing, and misdirecting her so I can kill them while she's not looking. Ugh.

Tonya said...

Ewwwww...you did so much better than I would have in that situation. Good save about the mom and dad thing for sure.

As long as my doesn't want me to hold whatever it is he's holding/touching then I'm good. Thanks goodness that skin is washable huh?

flip flop mama said...

Gross!!! I would have told her to take those right back outside! I probably would not have been as composed as you were. Nasty! I'm shuddering at the thought of that

Heather said...

Gross...

... said...

i don't think i would freak out but i would say something about what they were and how gross i thought they were. but i understand where you're coming from. it is better that our kids learn from their own experiences.

have a great weekend.

Jean Knee said...

I tend to do grosser things than my kid

Beth said...

Andrew brought in a horrible looking bug the other day. He wanted to know what it was??? Was he crazy? It was a HUGE beatle-like bug. I told him to take it outside--I didn't want it getting loose in the house. He promptly took it out and stomped on it! I wouldn't have been able to bear the crunch.

elasticwaistbandlady said...

Yeah, when my oldest was 5 she brought home acorns from school and kept them in her Barbie bucket.

The "acorns" then hatched into bugs that got everywhere.

I'm happy that she didn't get attached to the bugs and I could throw them out but she sobbed like a baby to lose all her dolls because I refused to de-bug them.

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

The sounds like a conversation we have regularly at our house.

I've worked very hard not to pass my fears onto my boys. I have an incredible fear of snakes and guess what my boys like? Snakes. I've let them have books and posters and stuffed and rubber ones. I've even learned to go into the reptile house at the zoo. But, I draw the line at owning one. I told them I'd rather have an elephant in my backyard than a snake in my house. Of course J said, "Really?"

Bonnie the Boss said...

Ewwwwwww!!!!!!I pull the mommy is calling them and is worried thing too. I am with you though on the bugs. Maggots creap me out sooooo bad. ICK!

Ally said...

Uh, they like screaming....

Definitely makes me crazy!

i said...

Justin brought me a flattened worm... poor little creature!

Nancy Face said...

"Their family will miss them." You are a GENIUS! :)

Maggots...EWWW EWWW EWWW!!!