Today I Thought Twice About Killing A Bug
I’d never really thought twice about bringing down the Hulk Smash (Yes, I just saw the Avengers and now you get to deal with that) on an unsuspecting bug that had gotten too close to my inner space. In fact, in the world of bugs, I might even be know as a bully!
That was until today.
While playing outside with my kids, I noticed an ant moving dangerously close to my Diet Coke. Just as I was about to bring down the Hammer of Thor (Yep, another one), I noticed that my daughter was infatuated with this tiny little creature.
She screamed with joy, literally, and followed it around everywhere it went. And then she dropped the hammer on me. She looked up at me with her cutie pie eyes and said “Buggy looking for Mommy & Daddy!”
If I wasn’t convinced about letting it live yet, that pretty much sealed the deal. Could you say no to that smile? I certainly can’t.
How could I raise my kids to be kind and love all things, if bugs isn’t included on that list? In this Disney world that my kids live in, that ant is most likely going back fun fairy land village like Pixie Hollow, where Tinkerbell and the Bee Movie guy frolic through fields of Strawberries and stay away from the dreaded humans!
I don’t want to be a dreaded human! And I certainly don’t want my kids to be dreaded humans!! It seems we have no other option than to be friends of the bugs and allow them to roam free on our yard, with no fear of being picked off by one of my shoes, which I throw with the accuracy of one of HawkEye’s arrows!! (Reaching, I know)
Point is, my kids love bugs and they really don’t do any kind of harm to us, other than being gross and creepy and disgusting….well, you get it, right? I guess it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to just observe the bugs while they’re around and then let them move on to their fantasy land, where they can see their Mommies and Daddies.
Who knows, maybe they do go back to Mommies and Daddies. Truth is, I couldn’t care less to look it up, lol. I’ll just pretend they do and let them live from now on!
In closing, Bugs of the World, you have safe passage through my yard for the time being. I can’t promise that you won’t get accidentally squashed by a runaway PlasmaCar or a size 2 rain boot but I will not purposefully crush you if you don’t get in my face!
Oh yeah, There’s one more thing. This entire post does not apply to one particular species of bug and you know who you are. Even if my kids fall madly in love with you, I will hunt you while you sleep. I believe Liam Neeson described it best:
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”
I’ve got my eye on you wasp. And it’s as sharp as Fury’s one good eye (Yes!) Don’t push me!
Cheers!
PS – Ironman, Captain America, Black Widow! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, that’s better!!!
Bugs are ok…outside! What a smile!
Haha, thanks! I like her a bit too, lol. As for the bugs, this post only speaks for outdoor bugs. Indoor bugs best beware!
My youngest used to collect crickets. He had one of those ride on toys with the little storage compartment in the seat and he would spend all day filling it with crickets.
LOL, at the moment, mine are into caterpillars and how they turn into butterflies. We have a collection of caterpillars that we monitor on a daily basis.
There are exceptions to every rule! I will write a post about this 😉
Haha, thanks for the post reply! Here is the link in case anyone wants to read it! http://www.multitestingmommy.com/2012/05/there-are-exceptions-to-every-rule-even.html
Oh my gosh! I’ve said it a million times…I LOVE your posts!! Your little one’s smile is so stinkin’ adorable! Precious!!
Okay, I HATE bugs…but I live on a farm. I also try to teach my little one that bugs have a purpose in our ecosystem and that they are important (they help fertilize the soil, they are food for birds and other animals…and sometimes other bugs, etc).
This said, I have absolutely no qualms about killing a mosquito! 😉
Mosquitos don’t count! They are the lowest form of bug and serve no purpose! I’m glad to be able to teach the kids a little something while we’re having fun exploring the bugs lives 😉
And thanks for the compliments! I really appreciate it!
I didn’t think twice about crushing that freaking ant that was crawling on my BED this morning! ahhhh but it is hard when the little ones like them and are watching. as a side note, I saw Captain America for the first time this weekend, other than the muscle making machine it was pretty silly. unless such machine does exist, than I volunteer Hubster to be next in line and change my mine about the whole thing lol
As Amanda pointed out, there are exceptions to every rule. Bugs in the bed are one of them!
As for the Avengers, Captain America is my least favorite but plays his part well mixed in with the other heroes.
Until we become parent’s we really don’t know they extend we influence children! I flush them is that the same or is that acceptable? LOL Great post!
Thanks Tammy, it really is true about influencing their decisions. That’s one of the toughest parts of parenting for me. Knowing when to tone it down from the way I used to be….not always easy, lol.
omg I love this! Not bugs! Just this post! And although written eloquently, I will reserve the right to disallow safe passage through my yard since my boys are destruction nasty humans that hunt and kill things that move LOL I’m good with that.
Thanks Jodi! I should have put a disclaimer on the post saying that these views are my own and do not reflect the views of others, lol.
🙂 I hate killing bugs, too. It makes me feel awful.
Also, it’s gross and messes up my shoes. But that’s neither here nor there. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate the comment!
Oh my Chris! I love your blog. You are hilarious!
And I thought about that too once, killing bugs in the presence of my kids. I don’t really do it anymore, unless they are in my domain (the house).
However, you haven’t lived until you’ve had a lumberjack (sprucebug) in your shirt. LOL! Trust me, I worked for my dad’s sawmill for years and they love getting you! Those beasts I have no mercy for.
I feel like I should be paying you for the kind words. I really appreciate you taking the time to visit and comment on the blog. As for the bugs, I’ll pass on putting the sprucebugs in my clothing…
My 3 year old had a wood-tick on her this morning…nothing would have stopped me from flushing that sucker!!!! UGH….My skin is still crawling LOL
There are definitely exceptions to my madness. Wood ticks, mosquitos, bed bugs, lice are just to name a few…
I’m all for not killing bugs… but spiders… spiders will not survive my wrath.
HAHAH! The best summarization of bug killing ever. My kids too have played that card on me, and we end up with a new outdoor pet that runs away in their sleep. They’ve learned to keep them outdoors, as I do not like bugs.
Thankfully, when bugs are in play, they hide. They know Mommy doesn’t like things with more legs then a dog/cat/something furry & cute, unless it’s a lady bug or a caterpillar. I will gladly hand them worms when gardening so I no longer have to dig around them. Beyond that. I DO NOT LIKE BUGS!!! But won’t kill them either 😛 Unless it is a bee… bees get the footwear, always.
Bugs are cool, I can live with them. That is unless they try to bit, stick, or sting me. Then its time to die!
Seriously though, kids love bugs. Little A is on a huge ladybug kick, she’ll spend hours hunting them. Except house flies, or as she calls them “shoo flies” – for some reason they scare the crap out of her.
See this sums it up for me, “being gross and creepy and disgusting.” For that reason I have trouble not squishing them all. But like your little girl, my son is also infatuated with them so they also currently have a pass in my yard.
I’m with you on the wasps…..but I will got out of my way to kill spiders. Well I won’t personally but I’ll scream loudly until someone comes to do the deed. Usually my 7yr old granddaughter.
Aww, she’s so sweet. Bug are ok – sometimes.
I just found your blog, and LOVE it!
My son is 15 months, so right now I’m still looking at bugs as predators. I can’t stand to even think about one biting/crawling on him! I know your post will probably come back to haunt me in a year or so when he wants to build an ant farm/makes them pets, etc.
I wonder when we lose this innocence in protecting such creepy crawly things?
PS – Your daughter is absolutely adorable!!!
That guy from Bee Movie isn’t Disney. You might have been thinking about Flick from A Bug’s Life.
And I’m arachnophobic. Too many stories involving spiders and how I scream.