I’ve been teaching Elliot not to kill or hurt bugs for a long time. We touch them and pick them up, and watch them. But he knows not to hurt or kill them, even though other children at school and camp do. I’ve explained to him why he shouldn’t do that, and he’s very conscientious and careful about it. We really enjoy watching and rescuing bugs on our “adventures”, expeditions, and walks. Elliot picks them up off the pavement and returns them to an area with grass or soil, including worms.
On Sunday, Elliot and I walked through a house for sale a few blocks away. The realtor liked him a lot. Afterwards, Elliot saw a dead bug on the front of our car — killed by collision. He asked why it had died, what had happened. I explained it to him in great detail, using my hands to show how the bug must have smashed into the car at high speed while we were driving.
Tonight I spoke to that realtor about 715 Mueller Drive, our home. She not only remembered Elliot’s name, but told me how wonderful it was that Elliot was concerned about the bug on the front of our car.
