Our Pet from the Pond

So Thursday we took W to his swimming lessons at the Strafford Pond. It's really hard for W to concentrate on the actual swimming portion since there are so many other things to be distracted by, like salamanders and fish and water bugs and dragon flies and... it goes on. He started wandering along the edge of the pond, past the safety rope. I watched him go for a while and then called him back and explained it wasn't safe go go past the rope. Of course, the inevitable question, "Why not." "Because there might be leeches," I replied, having no idea whether there really were leeches or not. I forgot all about the leech comment until on the drive home, W claims there's something stuck to his foot and it won't come off no matter how hard he pulls. "It's a leech!" he screeches. Once we get home I check out the matter only to discover that, sure enough, it's a little tiny leech stuck between his big toe and second toe. W starts crying, "This is what I get for going past the rope? A leech stuck to me!" I was able to pull it off and show him it didn't really hurt and it was, after all, only a baby leech. So now we have a pet leech named Sucker. Of course we're only raising him until he's big enough to go to the hospital with Daddy. Why will he go to the hospital with Daddy, you ask? "Because when people get their fingers cut off, the hospital uses leeches to help suck blood back into it." And how does W know this? "Popular Mechanics for Kids. You should watch it, mom. You might learn something."