We're not big pet people. We had a turtle who ran away, Jonathan killed our fish by trying to clean the tank with baby wipes while they were still in it, and after a year of trying to care for a Chocolate Lab we had to admit what awful pet owners we are and find a family who could give him the love and attention he required. I thought that was our last attempt to include other species (besides teenage boys) into our family until little Manny visited a friend who was the proud owner of...RATS!
I'm not a big fan of rats. I've had a couple unpleasant encounters with them as uninvited guests-a separate post- and there's something about those creepy tails... Little Manny did not share my aversion. He decided that this might be just the pet for him. He imagined the little whiskers tickling his cheek as they played, the bliss of scaring unsuspecting guests by letting it loose on the dinner table, the companionship of a friend who'd never complain about lack of equal playing time on the video games. What more could a pre-teen boy want? He begged, "Please, mom & dad, can I get one? I'll pay for it with my own money! I promise I'll clean up after it!" until we finally came to a compromise- we let him get a gerbil (completely different that a rat; their tails are furry). Manny named him "Arthur".
Not long after, Jonathan added Arthur's sidekick, "Coal"...because he looks like a piece of charcoal... Here are the four posing for a picture.
No comments:
Post a Comment