Whimsical Parenting Diary | First Time Raising Pill Bugs: Failures and Discoveries

At the local park, my son found a pill bug and started saying, “I want to take it home!”.

He has recently become able to touch pill bugs, and he seems to find it very cute how they curl up when he pokes them with his finger. Both at daycare and at home, a “pill bug boom” has arrived for my son.

I have memories of collecting pill bugs myself when I was a child, but I never actually raised them properly.

For the time being, I put it in an empty jar and added water and leaves, but—it died after about a week.

Because it was a life he found himself and brought home, my son cried his eyes out.

He made a huge fuss for a while, asking, “Why did it die?”

It is really difficult to know how to answer these “whys”.

Even when I told him, “Maybe the change in environment was stressful,” or “Maybe it was because we put in too much water,”

he still didn't seem convinced.

As I was racking my brain over his repeated questions of “Why?” and “Why is that?”—

he asked, “Even though [Name]'s mom is here, why did it die?”

After thinking for a moment, I replied, “Because [Name]'s mom is not the pill bug's mom...!”

Conversations while trying to figure out the intent behind a 4-year-old's “why” are a bit of a battle of wits.

Even so, my son is full of motivation, saying, “Next time, I want to raise it well!”

I bought an insect cage and a clear pair of tweezers for catching bugs at a 100-yen shop.

Now, when my son says, 'Mom, catch it!', I won't have to use my bare hands (lol).

And so, we brought home three more pill bugs from the park.

While we were searching, saying things like 'We can't seem to find any' and 'Just one is fine,'

we had a little commotion when he asked, 'Where did that one we found earlier go!? It's gone!?', but we managed to find three in the end.

This time, learning from our previous mistakes, we are keeping them while discussing the types of leaves and the amount of water with my son.

Pill bugs are something we don't usually get to observe closely.

'They say they drink water from their bottoms!', 'It's munching on a leaf!'

The little surprises I've discovered with my son are so fresh and interesting.

As adults, the opportunities to interact with insects really decrease, don't they?

But when I'm with my son, I can pay attention to and be moved by even the smallest things.

It feels like I'm being given a share of that “child's perspective,” and I truly cherish these moments.

──That said, I have just one request for now.

I'm begging him, please, just don't bring any frogs home...! (lol)

When my son grows up,

I hope that this time will“a page of memories with Mom”remain gently in his heart, as I find myself thinking these days.