Nature girls

What is it with kids and nature? One minute, they're fascinated by bugs and worms and every other type of creature and the next minute, they're either too afraid to go near them or they're killing them. Yesterday, I thought Sabrina was going to cry all day when I picked her up from camp. Apparently, she was building a worm house for the worms she found and one of the other girls squashed the worm. I didn't even get her backpack on when she yelled out, "Mom, Angel is a worm killer!" I didn't know what to say so I just told her "Well, we've all got to be something." Really, I'm not into animal cruelty, but the death of the worm is not high on my list of crimes against nature. Yes, I do know how important worms are to the earth. I also know how important they are to fishermen! But, my kids sometimes take it too far. One day, they started a slug collection. Freakin' slugs. Now, that is gross. I can't imagine anything more disgusting than a slug. Well, maybe a leech, but when's the last time you saw one of them? I mean, what function do slugs serve? Man up and get a shell, would you? Then, you'd at least be a snail and no one would think that badly of you. What's worse than being called a slug? Ick. Caty has saved the snakeskin she found in our yard and the wren's egg that didn't make it into becoming an actual wren. I'm telling you, it's Wild Kingdom at my house. Today, it was a snake. I saw it first. I was outside doing some yard work and I saw it near the front hose spigot, so I called the girls outside to see it. My mother says "Oh, it's a viper!" (If you knew my mom, this would not surprise you.) Sabrina is viewing it from all angles. Caty looks at me and says "Pick it up." I refuse. She says "Why not? It's not poisonous. It's a garden snake." Oh, really, Jeff Corwin? Thanks for the lesson in wild reptiles. I'll keep my distance, thanks.