Killing Bugs with Adele'

I have a new favorite past time: killing bugs with my daughter. Adele' is my two year old girl and loves to play on the toys at the park. My wife and I will pack our two kids into the car and head head out to play. We swing on the swing, slide down the slide and climb up the climing wall. It is pure joy to watch her run and explore (my son Oliver is only two months old and dosent go down the slide quite yet... next month). A few months ago Adele' found something new, it was an ant. She curiously watched it crawl over the bark and through the grass. Eventually she had to pick it up. The ant had taken two steps on the tip of her finger before she yelled, "yuck" and instantly decided to squash the bug. Just like that a new game was formed. Adele now loves to hunt bugs with sticks. She looks carefully as she tip toes around the grass and toys with her weapon in hand. The second she finds a bug she yells "yuck" and starts swinging the stick wildly.

There are a few reasons why is it so fun to watch my daughter track down insects. I love to watch her explore. You can see the adventure in her eyes as she tracks through the park with stick in hand. She is not just walking through the grass but daring through unexplored fields looking for wild creatures. She is totally taken in by nature. I love to see Adele' yell yuck! She is sincerely surprised every time she finds a bug. She jumps and squirms and is visibly overjoyed at her discovery. She bravely swings the stick and then bends down to observe the results from her attack. I love to watch her watch me. I am big into bug hunting. Why? Because Adele' loves it. When I love what she loves we are bonding. These back yard adventures are important for her and I. We are doing something together that is fun and exciting. This is the greatest part about bug hunting. I know that every ant we track down is another layer of relationship being built up between us. Shared experiences like these bring people close and I am blessed to share these with my daughter.

What sort of adventures do you have with your kids?