Oh, summer. We spend countless hours outside and a good sign that fun was had by all is when the Boy is a filthy mess – a combination of melted popsicles, water, sand, dirt, grass – you name it. It’s all good, because playing outside and getting down and dirty is part of the fun of being a kid.
I grew up on a farm – my parents weren’t farmers, but my grandfather was and he lived beside us, plus used the barn on our property. I spent days knee deep in a combination of dirt/mud/cow poop and quite frankly didn’t care. We had a blast. We played in the haymow, chicken coop, chased ducks, found bugs under rocks, swam in the ditch (ok, not on purpose, that may be a separate post), slid down frozen manure piles in the winter – you name it, we did it and got dirty along the way.
But now, years later, and 2 children of my own and I don’t like getting dirty and bugs creep me out. When did I become so boring that my country roots of no-holds-barred outdoor fun escaped me? I don’t mind garden dirt, sand or grass in my toes. But spiders freak me out. Mosquitoes tick me off and I panic if the Boy tries to climb things like rocks or trees (all of which I would have done).
Today we lifted a sandbox to clean it up. Underneath was a colony of ants, crickets, spiders, other unnamed creatures. My first thought was ‘ick’. It gave me the heeby-jeebies. Why did I think ‘ick’? While there were hundreds of ants, it’s not like they were looking to attack me. They were happily going about their business (of laying eggs and collecting food by the looks of things). My son’s reaction? “Ohhh, so cute”. Um, really pal?
So, somewhere after moving away from home to the big city of Ottawa, I became a city slicker. I don’t like the dirt, the bugs, the things I once loved about the country. I want my mall close by with air conditioning and pest control.
Maybe now that I have kids I’ll rediscover the joys of grubby creatures. Am I the only one? (and for those of you wondering, no, I wouldn’t be a camper. 😉
Also: side note about the ant colony: In a matter of minutes, those ants, upon our intrusion, moved their eggs and food supply under ground. I am talking hundreds of sacks. I can’t even keep on top of my laundry at home. Hmph.
