Slug Bug...

If you have ever heard the phrase "Slug Bug" or the less popular "Punch Buggy", you would know instantly where this is going... The picture shows a car.. a SPECIFIC kind of car... and if your parents or friends filled you in on the significance of this car, then you either had a fun time finding them or some sore body parts after someone else in the vicinity found them first. This car is known as a Beetle. It obviously sticks out from other cars due to its shape and size. Because of these differences, a long, long time ago, someone had the great idea to make a game out of finding them. Think of it as a slightly more violent game of Where's Waldo. (And if you didn't have who can find Waldo first competitions then you didn't enjoy it as much as I did!) How it goes is like this.. You're in the car and you and whoever else in the car are just riding along.. Then you see one of these cars.. You yell out the color and then say slug bug (Red slug bug!).. and as you're saying it, you're also winding up the arm that will deliver a punch to whoever is with you while you see it. This game has got me through a few road trips both now and way back when. I don't know if it's a northern thing or not because when I said something like this while a friend was in the car she laughed and looked at me like I was crazy! I was like "You never played this with your brother and sister?" She kept laughing and said no... So if you HAVE, you know what I'm saying and if you have NOT, you might be thinking the same things she was... Anyway.. I recently told my kids of this fun little tradition and their little eyes dart all over parking lots and streets when we're in the car like an animal looking for food. The only difference, no more punching... I know what you're thinking... What's the point of yelling slug bug if you don't get to slug anybody? Remember how I said it can turn into a somewhat violent game? Yeah... Back in the days when I was crammed in the backseat with both my sister and my brother, we played.. A lot. There was no holding back on the velocity of the swing either which usually led to bruises, a few tears and the words kids never want to hear.."Mom! She hit me!!!" Yeah... It even got to the point where you KNOW they didn't ACTUALLY see one and they would try to do it anyway! That's when you used the whole "Yes there was one! It just passed us and is behind us now!" and then BAM! ;) A fun game for sure but MAN people get upset when they lose! (I am the oldest... I barely EVER lost...) Here and there even parents would chime in if they saw one and were thinking about it but heaven forbid you see one and then slug one of them! Even though the parents received softer blows than the siblings, you still have those "off days" where everything pushes your buttons and eventually one good slips and even though it's a game.. you get in trouble.. So yeah, NOW they call out the color and still say everything the same only now it's a who can find the most kind of thing. At first, when I would find more than them, they would try to cop out by saying stuff like "I'm not even playing!" or "Can we see who can find the most trucks instead?" HA! No.... They're getting pretty good now.. Those beady little eyes dart over parking lots like scanners and even from the back seat they some times find them before me! It's really convenient that every day on the way to and from school we pass a university that we all KNOW has at least five of them throughout the day.. Some times they're parked in sight on the way there and some times they stay in the same spot for days. My kids picked up on this VERY quickly.. They have even called it (GUESSING) before we even pass the spots!! It doesn't count of course because you have to SEE IT... So it's like our daily competition to and from school or while we're out in town now. I even go for the attempted distractions while I try to scan lots and streets. I get them talking about something, ANYTHING to where they're really INVOLVED and hope they stay wrapped  in that instead of looking out the windows... It's a little low sure.. But not even THAT holds them back anymore. They're like machines! They asked me why they have to say slug bug the other day.. So I told them how WE used to play. I made it sound horrible to them I'm sure. I told them how my brother and sister would cry and have big ugly bruises on their arms and legs.. There are a few days when I look in the rear view mirror and I swear their faces look like they WANT to slug each other (or ME) but no slips have happened.. Yet! (Three knocks on wood for good measure..) :) That is my slug bug story.. If you have NEVER played this game, TRY IT! Or save it for a trip you know will be boring or long. Give those eyes something to search for aside from license plates and street signs. You may or may not be sorry you did! By the way.. todays score so far from the trip to school.. Mom: 2  Kids: 0   ;)  Happy hunting!!! -Super Mom