A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided that we would get a family dog when Donato was a little older. Since he's an only child, we think it would be great for him to have a fur brother or sister. We're not quite ready to add a four-legged child to our family, but that hasn't stopped Donato from wanting a pet....ANY pet.
On Saturday, we were sitting outside while Donato was riding his scooter and playing with sidewalk chalk. I noticed an inchworm making its way across the driveway. I pointed it out to Donato so he wouldn't roll over the little guy. I had no idea he would proceed to give him a name (Willy) and play with him for the next hour. I knew what was coming next. He asked me if we could keep him. I tried to tell him that inchworms belonged out in nature, but he insisted it was safer for Willy to be indoors. I quickly did a Google search on how to create a habitat for inchworms. I got a container...poked a bunch of holes in it and asked Donato to gather some leaves. We put in a small stick and some dirt...and Willy was ready to move in.
Donato couldn't stop checking on Willy. He kept picking up his habitat and looking in to make sure Willy was still alive. The next morning, we opened the lid and saw the Willy had feasted on one of the leaves. Donato said he wanted to take Willy outside for a "walk" and fresh air. He let him crawl around the driveway for a few minutes...got him some fresh leaves and put him back into the habitat.
I have no idea how long Willy will live (I read that inchworms have a very short lifespan)...but I'm glad Donato has a non-screen related distraction for the time being. Now let's hope he doesn't want to "adopt" a cicada when they start popping up over the next few weeks.