Well, Of Course He Did... The Windows Were Locked

I think scientists will soon isolate a smart-aleck gene. I believe it's out there, and I'm pretty sure it runs dominant among males in my family.

The other day, Miles came running into the den with this excited cry: "Mom! Mom! I found a spider! In my room! Come look at him!"

I go in and find, sure enough, a rather healthy eight-legged specimen under the play table. All play had been suspended for the find; the sitting stools were knocked out of the way and a complete backpack of gear was disemboweled on the carpet, as M. had clearly been looking for bug-wrangling gear. He chose his binoculars (around the neck), his magnifying glass (in one hand) and most frigteningly, his giant tweezers.

As my child was playing Nearsighted Entomologist, it occured to me that we hadn't had a spider of this size in the house in a while. And it wasn't a rainy day, which often drives bugs indoors. I said out loud, "I wonder how that spider got in here?" And immediately, Miles wheeled around, binoculars still trained and tweezers held aloft. Without missing a beat, he said,

"Uh, well, I'm pretty sure he came through the door, Mom."