My dad used to pay us a dollar for every firefly we caught in a jar.

By @owenliterally · Family

It was our little family tradition every summer. Now I'm thinking of recreating it with my own kids and my husband thinks it's a weird idea that won't land.

The full story

I was telling my kids stories about what it was like when I was little, back before everyone had a screen in their face 24/7. One of my fondest memories is of summer nights in the backyard. My dad would give me and my siblings an old glass mayonnaise jar with holes poked in the lid, and he’d offer us a dollar for every lightning bug we could catch and put inside. It was never about the money, not really. It was about the chase. We’d run around in the dusk, diving and shrieking with laughter, trying to gently cup them in our hands. The yard would be full of these little blinking lights, and for a couple of hours, it was the most magical thing in the world. At the end of the night, Dad would count them up, make a big show of handing over a few dollar bills, and then we’d all go to the edge of the woods, unscrew the lid, and watch them all fly out. He always said we had to let them go home to their families. I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to try it with our kids (8 and 10) at my parent's house this summer. He gave me a look. they said that kids today aren't entertained by something that simple, and they'll either get bored in five minutes or just see it as a chore for a dollar. He also made a point that maybe it’s not great to be trapping insects, even for a little while, and that we should probably just 'leave it as a nice memory.' I see his point, but it makes me sad. It feels like one of those pure, simple childhood things that’s getting lost to time. I thought it would be a beautiful way to get them off their tablets and connect with a family memory. But what if he's right? What if I try it and it's a total flop, and I just end up tarnishing my own happy memory? Leaving it up to y'all, would you try to pass on a tradition like this or just let it live in the past?

How people voted

OP Is Right — 21% (6 votes)
Both Messy — 38% (11 votes)
OP Is Wrong — 41% (12 votes)

Readers are split: “OP Is Wrong” leads with 41% — 29 votes and 5 comments so far.

What people are saying

@maybeitsme — I'm with your husband, think of the firefly families.
@daniwelp — do it and dont tell him just let the kids start running around with jars
@gusliterally — Have you tried just asking your kids if it sounds fun to them?
@sagehm — This is what happens when people raise their kids on tablets instead of in backyards.
@kit — bruh

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