SNAKES! Worst Mom of the Year | everydaygameplan.net

Good moms take their children outside to play. Terrible moms take their children outside to play…on top of a snake den!

Let me explain.

(Grandma, you might want to stop reading right now…)

Last year, we had a snake who liked to hang out in our yard. Let me tell you, I am ~~a little afraid~~ terrified of snakes. Absolutely cannot stand them. So, this one snake in our yard had me well on my guard. I knew in my brain that it was only a black snake, harmless, probably helpful in some ways, but still, I didn’t like it. I carefully walked around any snake ambush spots, never went out at night and just tried to deal with it. After all, who wants to be an alarmist about a harmless black snake living outside where it belongs?

And then it came in my house. That was enough even for my husband. We’d heard that putting mothballs down will drive the snake off, so we did that, and we never saw hide nor hair of the snake. Problem solved.

Then about a month ago, I saw a smaller black snake cruising through the back yard. He was all the way at the back, just passing through. Again, I figured one, I can deal with. I’ll just be cautious, watch where I step, and be brave.

Which brings us to yesterday. In the morning, I worked on cleaning up some piles of dead leaves while my daughter played on the patio and swing right beside me.

After lunch, I glanced out the French doors, and I saw TWO snakes. Naturalists would probably say they were mating. I know better. They were plotting together to take over the house. I ran to get the camera, so that my hubby would not just think I was being hysterical, and they ran off. I kept looking out to see though, and pretty soon, I saw them.

All over and on and under that same deck where my daughter had been playing.

Only do you notice something? All the way at the back, that little black thing poking up. It’s a third snake. Not cool. Just then, the front snake feinted, and charged the middle snake. The front snake went down in the cracks in the deck, and I glanced at my feet out the door.

No lie. Less than 3 feet away. Thank goodness for small things, like doors. I took his picture too. I could see it now. I tell my hubby there are snakes all over and he just thinks I’m exaggerating and being extreme. I needed the proof. I glanced up, and three feet over…

Are you keeping track? That’s FIVE!!! Those two were right there at the same time. It’s starting to turn into one of my bad dreams where it’s this minefield of snakes that keep popping out and multiplying.

(Snake on the left, coming out from under the deck) The snake on the right is fixing to jump in the pool, swim across, and get out on the other side so he can join his buddies under our deck. The deck that I let my daughter play on. I’m not making this stuff up. I’m not even exaggerating, I promise.

By this time, hubby calls to see if I’m all right. Lol, we’re enacting “Snakes on a Plane” at my house!!! But yeah, I’m ok. And then he tells me. “If they come in the house, call me, and I’ll come home.” WHAT?? Not the reassurances I was looking for.

We made it through the rest of the day with no more sightings, inside or out, and hubby peppered the yard with moth balls. He has promised me that if we see them any more, we’ll call an exterminator.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to think of some different ways to play outside so that my daughter doesn’t play on top of a snake hideout.

Do you have any great ideas for getting rid of snakes? Do you let your children play with reptiles??

22 thoughts on “Worst Mom of the Year”

That is so scary! One is scary enough but there is something terrifying about how many there were and how they were crawling all up and through the deck. Aah. I’m not sure I’d be able to go out there again. You didn’t do anything wrong though. I never knew that about snakes and moth balls… I might have to spread some around my yard just in case

22 thoughts on “Worst Mom of the Year”

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