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When I was little, I remember playing “slug bug no slug back” every time I saw a Volkswagen bug.
It was a great opportunity to punch one my brothers in the arm. Of course, if I didn’t see it first, I was on the receiving end of the slug. This was the one time my brothers didn’t obey the “don’t hit girls” rule.
About a month ago, I heard Alana say “slug bug no slug back” and pop Calvin in the arm. Because I was driving there wasn’t much I could do to prevent it, so I prepared myself for the scream that would eventually come out of his mouth and the apologies that would quickly follow from Alana.
Instead, I heard from Calvin, “Oh man, what color was it?”
Alana responded, “Yellow.”
What?
I waited, thinking maybe there would still be a crying spell.
Nothing.
I guess I wasn’t too surprised there weren’t many tears. When I recalled the game from my own youth, that seemed to be the only time my brothers and I could “fight” without crying. And, unless I have pushed those memories so far into the corners of my mind that I don’t remember correctly, the game was actually pretty fun.
Why wouldn’t my children enjoy it as well?
And, really, how many “slug bugs” can there be in La Junta?
I turned up the radio and continued down the road.
A few blocks later I heard Calvin mutter something and an arm reach over to his sister.
Wait a minute, I thought. There isn’t a slug bug anywhere.
Right as I started telling Calvin that it wasn’t nice to hit, Alana said, “Oh man, what color was it?”
I again scanned the area, the mirrors and didn’t see a bug in sight.
“C’mon you guys, there wasn’t a bug around here,” I said to them and they both laughed.
“It wasn’t a slug bug, Mom,” Alana said. “It was a bruiser for a (PT) Cruiser.” Or as Calvin says in a super-fast voice to try to beat his older sister, “a cruiser patuiser.”
Over the next few days I also learned about “wheel no wheel back.” That’s when a spare tire is located on the back of an SUV or similar vehicle.
Thankfully, the physical contact has ceased, and now it’s a competition to see who can find the most. Alana is usually the scorekeeper and because Calvin and Izzy have only mastered counting and not addition or multiplication, her score always increases by “2s.”
I even contribute to the game by changing up the route to school at least twice a week. The kids have most of the vehicles memorized on our regular route, so this gives Calvin and Izzy a fair chance in scoring some points.
Oh, to be a kid again.
When I was little, I remember playing “slug bug no slug back” every time I saw a Volkswagen bug.
It was a great opportunity to punch one my brothers in the arm. Of course, if I didn’t see it first, I was on the receiving end of the slug. This was the one time my brothers didn’t obey the “don’t hit girls” rule.
About a month ago, I heard Alana say “slug bug no slug back” and pop Calvin in the arm. Because I was driving there wasn’t much I could do to prevent it, so I prepared myself for the scream that would eventually come out of his mouth and the apologies that would quickly follow from Alana.
Instead, I heard from Calvin, “Oh man, what color was it?”
Alana responded, “Yellow.”
What?
I waited, thinking maybe there would still be a crying spell.
Nothing.
I guess I wasn’t too surprised there weren’t many tears. When I recalled the game from my own youth, that seemed to be the only time my brothers and I could “fight” without crying. And, unless I have pushed those memories so far into the corners of my mind that I don’t remember correctly, the game was actually pretty fun.
Why wouldn’t my children enjoy it as well?
And, really, how many “slug bugs” can there be in La Junta?
I turned up the radio and continued down the road.
A few blocks later I heard Calvin mutter something and an arm reach over to his sister.
Wait a minute, I thought. There isn’t a slug bug anywhere.
Right as I started telling Calvin that it wasn’t nice to hit, Alana said, “Oh man, what color was it?”
I again scanned the area, the mirrors and didn’t see a bug in sight.
“C’mon you guys, there wasn’t a bug around here,” I said to them and they both laughed.
“It wasn’t a slug bug, Mom,” Alana said. “It was a bruiser for a (PT) Cruiser.” Or as Calvin says in a super-fast voice to try to beat his older sister, “a cruiser patuiser.”
Over the next few days I also learned about “wheel no wheel back.” That’s when a spare tire is located on the back of an SUV or similar vehicle.
Thankfully, the physical contact has ceased, and now it’s a competition to see who can find the most. Alana is usually the scorekeeper and because Calvin and Izzy have only mastered counting and not addition or multiplication, her score always increases by “2s.”
I even contribute to the game by changing up the route to school at least twice a week. The kids have most of the vehicles memorized on our regular route, so this gives Calvin and Izzy a fair chance in scoring some points.
Oh, to be a kid again.
