Last night after the evening family walk my husband and I were unloading the kids from the stroller. It had been raining all day so everything outside was pretty wet and the slugs were out and about. We have these giant slugs in our area that are bigger than my fingers and have these leopard print spots all over. There were a few on the walk leading up to the house and I pointed them out to my two year old. He was fascinated, but didn’t really want to touch them. He would poke one and say “Ew! Yucky!” My husband got the bright idea to put one onto a piece of paper he found and encourage our son to bring the slug into the house to show his auntie. Garrick was just trying to freak out his sister, of course, using the guise and innocence of a two year old. Well, after the antics of showing off the newly named Slug-O, my husband then came up with his second bright idea of the night. Let’s put this thing in a jar! I went and pulled out an old baby food jar, Garrick popped a couple of holes into the lid and we put in a wet paper towel. Presto! Slug cage! Trent ran around with Slug-O all night. We brought Slug-O in the bathroom with us, Trent wouldn’t put Slug-O down to put on his PJ’s, and Slug-O sat on the table next to the bed while I read the bedtime story. When it was time for me to leave, Trent kept crying and saying “Slug-O! Slug-O!” I was trying to tell him that the slug could stay on the table and watch over him all night, but he wouldn’t have it. I finally gave in, figuring that the minute I left Trent would just get up and grab the jar anyway. As I left the room, I turned to say the last good night and watched my son go to bed with a slug in a baby food jar. He held the jar and stared into repeating Slug-O over and over. My son’s first time finding an outdoor animal and keeping it in a cage overnight. The next morning we brought Slug-O back outside, opened his jar, said good-bye and released him back to the wilds of our back yard.
Update Sep. 11, 2009: Trent is still asking for Slug-O the past couple of nights at bedtime. I have to keep reminding him that we let Slug-O back outside.
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