ants

I called my sister in a panic yesterday. I needed to ask her the ever important "What do you get a six-year old boy for his birthday?" question. She was just sitting down to dinner, she'll have to call me back. Basically, I was own my own. All I really know about Caleb, the six-year old in question, was that he likes bugs. rather, he LOVES bugs. I arrive at Toys R' Us. This maybe my second time as an adult in the store but I figured the would have the largest selection of bug paraphernalia. I look at a saleswoman blankly and say "bugs?" She points me in the right direction. There I find, two, count them two choices. My first was a super-sized, fuzzy, remote control operated tarantula. The second was an ant farm. Need I say that it was a no-brainer. I actually have a warm nostalgia like feeling concerning ant farms. Had I been given fifty options I still probably would have left with the an farm. Granted, it's not the simple ant farm that I recall from my childhood. This one came with neon colored gel to nourish the ants. Can something a color not found in nature actually provide nourishment? I think that's another post all together.

In summary: Is it okay to bring insects into an unsuspecting persons home and call it a gift?

{image by Miss History}