#SOL16. No.18.
TS and NC (12- and 10-year-old brothers) have been learning about safety—water safety, bicycle safety, hiking safety.
While reading about safety protocol for hiking in a woods, they got into a discussion about ticks. The tick talk included information about how ticks embed themselves in our flesh and suck our blood.
In the ebb and flow of their discussion, since they live in a city in a geographic area where ticks are not abundant, their mother shared about her experience with a tick when she was a child. That, of course, led to a graphic discussion on how to check for ticks and how to remove ticks. And finally from the text, they learned about disease that ticks can carry.
In the flow of their conversation, some other bloodsucking bugs were discussed-–mosquitoes, head lice, bed bugs. They talked about the importance of being responsible. And being responsible, in plain language, is telling people you are in contact with if you picked up lice.
As the conversation ebbed into a reflective moment, TS slowly and with a noticeable reluctance flatly stated, “Life just got a lot harder.”
Meaning, they are more closely related
to spiders and scorpions than insects.
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Our school was across the street from a state park and the ticks were plentiful. I love the line “Life just got a lot harder.”
Yikes! That would make recess harder!
Ticks do make life harder! My mom had Lyme Disease. I love the way you told your story.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing… and I’m so sorry about your mom.
I was not expecting a story about ticks from the title, but after reading, it fits perfectly. Growing up moments happen in the oddest places sometimes. The realization that one must take on more personal responsibilities can be instantly aging.
Thanks for taking time to share about your reaction to the title. I debated about whether it would give the story away, since it is the punch line. But like you say, it causes the reader to experience the unexpected. I like your summation “take on more personal responsibilities can be instantly aging.” Well said!
I grew up in a region rife w/ ticks and remember the nightly tick hunt. A cousin even had Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever.?
Ah, you know about the “hardship” first hand. Good word choice–rife. Made my image of your tick encounters increased exponentially.