Having and Keeping

I’ve entered a new stage of motherhood; I recently heard my very first, “Can I keep it for a pet, Mom?” Lucky for me, the pet of choice for my boy is pill bugs. I grew up calling them potato bugs, and when we lived in Kentucky, the locals referred to them as roly-poly bugs, but upon consulting the all-knowing internet for care instructions, we discovered that these little things are really called pill bugs. And they aren’t really bugs at all, but part of the crustacean family. Isn't that exotic?

I’ve been impressed with the care D. has taken with his ‘pets.’ Granted, they are pretty low-maintenance (a plus for the pill bug pet), but he dutifully checks on them everyday, adds leaves and water to the jar and takes them out to play. One night, we returned home late from Grandma’s house. D. was asleep in the car, and I carried him up to bed. But, before he’d let me tuck him in, he woke up enough to peek in on his bugs.

So, we’ve got a jar full of an ever-growing pill bug family. Each day the kids find one or two new ones to join the crew. Currently, I am told, we are housing Flower, Flipper, Eagle and X. A few were lost (escaped) when taken out on the back patio to play. Regardless, my little ones are enjoying this season of care-giving, and I’m holding my breath, hoping it is MANY more years before they come begging for a dog.