Little Boys Love Turtles & Frogs and All Things That Crawl

If you have any little boys in your life, likely you know that most boys are attracted to all crawling, hopping and slithering things.  It is not unusual to find a bug clenched in their hands or a frog in their pocket.  This is how boys discover their world and interact with it.  Many of these same little boys will grow up to become adults that work in this world in a more scientific way, but this is how they start their wonderful relationship with nature.

Dirt just seems to attract boys.  My one son was even nicknamed "Dirty Magurdy".  He could go out and play and come home looking like he had taken a mud bath, while his brother, that was only one year older, came home looking like he hadn't even been outside.  And I recall one time when my three sons came home with a little green snake they had found.  I was horrified when they brought it into the kitchen and I quickly jumped onto a chair.  They were made to keep the little snake outside but after two days of seeing how gentle the green snake was, as they wore it on their arms, around their neck and in a pocket,  I soon realized that I felt sorrier for the snake.  The snake was released back to nature along with my fear of green snakes.  Obviously, don't encourage any snake encounters until an adult has verified that it is a harmless snake.

Yes, it is a normal part of boyhood to seek these adventures in nature.  Encourage them and be filled with surprise and amazement when they share this part of their world with you ... even if it is a little dirt-filled and slimy at times.