A Bug's Strife

My grandson, Keegan (2-1/2), recently developed a fear of all bugs. When he spent a few days with us several weeks ago, we had dinner in the backyard one night. A couple of pesky flies kept landing on the table near Keegan's plate. He would cower and scream when they flew anywhere near him. Gary taught him how to say "Go away, fly," and sweep his arm across his plate. He loved doing that - except when the flies came around, whereupon he would scream and shy back from them.

When we visited Crater Lake in August, we picked up a book called "1001 Bugs to Spot." Today, I took Keegan out in the front yard to show him a big green grasshopper and he jerked when it jumped and flew away. With that, I went inside and got the new book and we sat sat down together in the adirondack chairs on our front lawn and began reading about bugs.

A sow bug walked in front of the chair and Keegan jumped down and pointed at it. I told him what it was and he said "Hi, Sow Bug." He asked if he could stop on it and I said no, that it was a good bug. Instead he decided to try touching it with his finger, but suddenly became afraid again. "That sow bug is more scared of you than you are of him because you are so much bigger." Keegan tilted his head sideways and said, "Keegan is BIGGER than sow bug." He let the bug go this time.

Next we saw a couple of ants and he pointed and said, "ANTS" (loud enough for the neighbors to hear, but so what). Before his nap, he had fearlessly identified about 10 different kinds of bugs in the front yard and let them live. Life's little pleasures are often the most profound!