I have come to the conclusion that the only pet I ever really want is a dog. I don't really care for cats; birds kind of freak me out; fish are pretty useless; gerbils, rabbits, and various other rodents are boring to me; and let us not even speak of the horror of owning a snake VOLUNTARILY.
And this is where Cubby comes in to torture his mother.
I mean, you KNOW he's going to want to have one or all of those things at some point. A. and his brother had, at various times in their childhood, rabbits, gerbils, guinea pigs, parakeets, pigeons, turkeys, lots of fish, and a snake that they took in temporarily because A.'s friend's mother was terrified of it and banished it from the house.
I sympathize.
And then, of course, Cubby will probably also want to have pigs or goats or pigeons or something similarly farm-y, and how can we say no when his father has sheep and I have chickens? Not that A. WOULD say no, especially to the pigeons or the pigs. He's been trying to convince me for years now that we should have pigs. The sheep are more than enough for me, thanks.
I think I would really have to draw the line at snakes and lizards, though. Anything else I could deal with, if not lovingly. But reptiles? No. Just . . . no.
Which means that Cubby is going to develop an affinity for reptiles and end up with some kind of snake collection in his bedroom when he's 15. That's just the way these things work.
Pigs are very little trouble and taste good too.
ReplyDeleteCubby will teach you to love what he loves. Beth
word verification 'yonamog'
jogging in your sleep
Growing up, we had fish (boring and useless, I agree), guinea pigs, rabbits, plenty of cats, a couple of dogs, hermit crabs (even more boring and useless than fish), and at one point a ferret. Rabbits are great fun, like cats only less arrogant. Ferrets are like cats only craftier, if such a thing is possible. I am a cat person myself. I would also draw the line at reptiles, or god help us, tarantulas.
ReplyDeleteI had boring fish, escape artist hermit crabs, and a really nice rabbit growing up. However I had responsibilities for the dogs (scooping, brushing, feeding, etc.) that kind of killed any desire for further animal responsibility. Maybe if you have him work enough with the animals you have he won't want any more? Snakes and spiders are non negotiable for me- absolutely no way!
ReplyDeleteMy sister raised four pigs as part of our FFA/4H program. She loved it and they tasted very yummy. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a dog person too, but I wouldn't be opposed to another cat, as long as it's not evil like the one I have now.
My brother had three pet Piranha's in high school. Two of them ate the third one. Ya never know cubby might take after my brother and want a Piranha. *grin*
ReplyDeleteword verification Chill-a talent needed when dealing with kids and requests for animals