Why Creepy Crawlies? (Narrating Personal Interest)

Photo by Debbie Rudd - CC BY NC ND, used with permission

“Hold out your hands….be still….I’m going to show you something incredibly special…”

Why am I interested in butterflies, slugs and all things creepy crawly? It’s because it reminds me of the special times I spent bonding with my father as a child. I was (and still am) my father’s princess and I adore, admire and respect him.

Skipping and dancing I followed my father everywhere, his little shadow. As he worked in the garden in the evenings, often by the light of my dancing torch, or as we walked through bushland on the weekends, he would pop insects, lizards and all manner of creatures into my hands to observe. We carefully over-turned rocks, waded through creeks and peered into trees and bushes. 

“Look… a stick insect. The colours on the outside camouflage it, but look at the amazing colour on the underside of its wings – reds and pinks.”

“See the dragon lizard waving one leg in the air.. It looks like its saying 'tata' (goodbye), but it’s just cooling its foot down because the ground is so hot.”

“Shhh…. listen …you can hear the cicada telling us summer is here….tick, tick, tock. Follow the sound and we should find one…. and if you look very carefully at the base of a tree you might find an empty larvae case.”

Being still enough to find and observe the creatures shown to me was like a form of meditation. My father’s patient, soft spoken and gentle nature was a calming and soothing influence and one of the best lessons in both parenting and self-preservation I could have learned.

Now, I have children of my own and it’s such a pleasure to see their faces light up when I spend time with them, sharing experiences, examining all the wonderful, unusual….and sometimes-scary creatures in this world. We often pull over, when driving, to watch a snake sunbaking, to examine a spider web glistening in the car’s headlights or to investigate what is living in the waterlogged road verges during winter. These frequent stops make the journey just as rewarding as the destination.

I know I have done my job as a parent, just as my father did, when I see my children escaping outside, sitting quietly and finding inner peace while observing butterflies, slugs and all things creepy crawly. Again, I am reminded of my special bond with my father.

“Hold out your hands.…be still….I’m going to show you something incredibly special…”

Photo by Debbie Rudd - CC BY NC ND, used with permission

Photo by Debbie Rudd - CC BY NC ND, used with permission