Okay, tell me how this makes sense...

First, I'll give you a little of the backstory. Every year, we give our kids a challenge. It's supposed to be some academic challenge that sounds really big, but if they keep working at it all summer, they will be able to accomplish it. If they do it, we cough up a big prize at the end. This year, my daughter got her prize, and one of the things she chose was an ant farm. I was kind of surprised that she picked it, but then again, she's always been into that kind of thing.

Well, I got an email today from the company that ships the ants. My daughter has been so patient, waiting for these damn ants to get here. They said it would take 6-8 weeks, but it's been a bit longer than that. Here's what the company wrote me.

"Hello,
Thank you for your order. Your ants will be leaving our facility this week and next. If at all possible, please attempt to limit the amount of time the ants spend in the mailbox by periodically checking the mailbox every day to ensure their safe arrival.

Thank you and enjoy your ants!!"

Okay. Now let me get this straight. It's taken 6-8 weeks, and the ants are leaving in the very vague time frame of "this week and next". But I'm supposed to check the mail several times a day?? Now think this through with me here, because it's really baffling me. The ants are going to be in the US postal system, for up to two weeks, but leaving them in the mailbox for more than a few hours could kill them??

There are two more things that make this especially absurd. 1) We've had ants in the house all summer, and tried everything to get rid of them. 2) These ants that are being shipped will die in a few months, and I'm supposed to fish them out somehow, and order new ants. Dumbest toy ever. lol