The Year of the Moth

Every spring moths take over our doorways. 

They like to setup residence in the tiny little crack between the door and the door jamb.  Then, as you open the door, they attack!  Well, not so much attack as fall on your head or down your shirt, just kind of creeping you out a little before they flitter off.  Very much a nuisance, but not the end of the world . . . that is, unless you are 5 years old or younger. 

This spring, the infestation is pretty awful and has probably felt like a never-ending scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie to the kids.  The little kamikaze dive-bombers have certainly been the hot topic of discussion around Hooper Household.  Every time one is spotted flapping around a light bulb, banging up against the window or giving somebody the heeby-jeebies, either Charlie or Daniel stops whatever they are doing and immediately shouts, “MOTH”!   Picture the dogs in the movie “Up” every time they saw a squirrel and that’s pretty close.  If it’s Daniel that spots the moth, the annunciation is then followed by and a whimper and a “Ewwww!”  If it’s Charlie that spots the moth, the announcement is followed by a lengthy story about a recent moth run-in at school or that fact that there’s about a bazillion of them stuck in the light fixture of their classroom.

This morning, as Daniel was climbing up into the Tahoe, he placed his hand on top of a moth that was on the floorboard.  When he realized what had happened he looked at his hand and then back up at me with sheer horror on his face.  He must have thought that his hand was going fall off having actually touched one.  I prepared myself for an enormous outburst.  Surprisingly enough there was no, “Ewwww!” and there was no crying, just a child so terror-stricken he couldn’t even verbalize his feelings.  I quickly snatched him up and placed him in his car seat.   Once there, he was easily side tracked by whatever snack or toy was left in his cupholder.  Let’s hear it for short attention spans!!!

I am just hoping that the Moth Reign of Terror is nearly at an end.