Yes, unfortunately, you read that right. And they are in my refrigerator on purpose, not because we have some kind of icky mealworm infestation (if that’s what mealworms do–I know not). No, see, this is what happens when you have boys in your house. Let me explain.
Growing up, there was me and my two sisters. We liked kittens, and flowers, and music. My mom, bless her heart, was (and still is to this day) TERRIFIED of bugs of any kind, but in particular, spiders. Now, this could have to do with the day that a tarantula crawled up her hand as she was weeding in the ivy along the border of our lawn in San Bernadino–but I digress.
Worms. Growing up, my best friend had a creepy brother that would occasionally show off for me by doing gross things, like cutting a worm in half so we could watch both halves continue to wiggle–stuff like that. But I did not grow up with critters, slithering pets, or any type of weird animal that required anything as food besides, you know, food.
And yet…now I have a four-year-old boy who does BECAUSE I have a fifty-five year old husband who thinks collecting the lizards that hang out at our new place is cool. God love him. I mean it IS cool that he’s teaching our son all about nature, and critters, and all that gobbledygook–and considering that he was a bug and dirt major in college, he really gets into all this. I’m happy for Lukas that he has at least one parent that’s in touch with the gritty side of life–who gardens and uses grow room carbon filters, gets their hands dirty, knows the names of plants and flowers, can identify the difference between a gecko and a lizard (???)–all important. Right?
However, I’ll stay over on the other side, where I can identify a lengthening mascara from a volumizing one, a blusher from a bronzer, and a lip gloss from a lipstick (der). All useful information for my ten-year-old daughter, for sure; yet clearly out of the realm of knowledge for my husband–putting my college degree to work (Communications Studies)? You betcha.
Now if only they’ll be sure to keep the crickets out of the house next time they feed them to the lizard, we’ll be all set…
