One might accurately say I've always been something of an "enthusiast" when it comes to bugs and spiders. If I see something flying or crawling by, I might easily put any current business on hold to see what kind of excitement and intrigue the insect world has to offer. Such was the case one evening as I was enjoying some time in the back yard with our girls. I can't remember what exactly we were doing but at some point I became distracted by the site of a large group of anthills.
As I crouched down to inspect the teeming insect metropolis, our younger daughter (who was four years old at the time) walked over and joined me for a look. For a minute or so, we watched in silence as the ants scurried here and there. Eventually, my daughter asked in her soft, inquisitive kid voice: “Daddy, are those good ants?”
I was at something of a loss for a few seconds but after thinking on it, I eventually replied, "Well, they’re not Disney ants." Yeah...That was simply the best I could do at that particular moment. As luck would have it, she was relatively happy with my answer.

Originally written in April 2008 for BBE.









