Weird things happen when you become a parent. You share food with a slobber-monster, you watch PBS, and you find binkies in your purse.
It happens. You can’t avoid it. And quite frankly, you aren’t going to want to avoid it. Weird behavior becomes normal, and it makes you a better mother.
Yesterday we ran some errands as a family. We had several things we needed to get and we decided to attempt it as a family… we like to live life on the wild side. So we packed up the minivan (not really, Murano) and headed to Target. I’m pretty sure that it was the longest Target trip I have ever taken and Jansen managed it like a champ.
No major meltdowns and no poop-splosions. In toddler mom terms, that’s a huge success.
When we finally left Target, we decided to stop at Petsmart so Jansen could see all the animals. We first saw the turtles. One was trying to escape through the glass which made him the most active turtle I’ve ever seen. We saw the birds, lizards, and all the rodents. Jansen called them all “mouse” and Stephen wanted to take one home.
Side note. I’m pretty sure I’m going to lose the rodent battle. Stephen wants a rat (blech) and Jansen thinks all critters are awesome. As much as I’d HATE it, I don’t see a real reason to say no. I mean, it’ll stink and give me the heebie jeebies… but it’s not going to hurt anything. And really, Stephen is an adult. And if you can’t get a pet when you’re an adult, life is just not fair. (Stephen: I still say no to ferrets, chinchillas, and snakes. Oh, and cats.) But I told Stephen that if we’re bringing home a rodent, I need to be mentally prepared for something like that. I can’t just happen to go into a Petsmart and then come home with a rat. No. Not going to happen.
But we did come home with a new member of the family. His name is Feisty and he is a Beta Fish. He’s red and mean and kind of pretty. Jansen thinks he’s great, though I’m sure it’ll take him a while to learn his name. We just felt that it was appropriate. He was trying to attack the man-Beta in the next tub over when we found him. We chose him because we thought our lives could use a little danger. LIVIN’ LIFE ON THE EDGE, WE ARE!
Anyone want to take bets on how long we can keep him alive?
No way! Nora got her first Beta over a week ago. Rebekah named him Rutherford, but changed it to Finwick since Nora had no hope of ever saying his name. (I used to be “Known” for Nona. Now I’m Nose.?? so funny.) We had one for over three years before he committed suicide by jumping out of his bowl. His name was Doofus, by the way.
My cousin had a pet rat. I’m not a huge fan in general, but I will say that it didn’t smell bad like hamsters/guinea pigs/etc. It was a pretty chill little guy and a pretty good pet. Good luck on that one!
As the parent of a zoologist, we had everything four footed and furry in our house except a ferret. For a long time I was against the idea of rats as pets, but after Meredith brought hers home, they were actually kind of cute. I had several as pets in the classroom, and the kids adored them. They are very socail. Probably NOT what you want to hear, right ? Beta fish make nice pets, too
I had gotten my mom a beta fish one yr for mothers day or birthday.. or something.. I can’t remember now. .. Anyhow.. she named him Fred. He was beautiful!!!!… and lived for more than 7 yrs. WTH!? I didn’t know fish lived that long!
As long as you stick with one rat, it isn’t so bad. I’m not a fan of rodents, but my sister got two mice. Supposedly the same sex until suddenly they kept having all these little mice babies. After a couple rounds of mice babies, my mom made her get rid of all but one mouse (and a hamster she previously had). Her room was starting to smell even if she shut the door, and unfortunately you had to pass by her room to go anywhere upstairs.
Yea for fish!!! He is going to love that…..not taking bets on how long you keep him alive but I bet it will be awhile before Jansen can say “feisty”!
I am HORRIBLE at keeping fish alive. Betta`s are so pretty, but I just can`t keep them living. Everytime we`re in a pet store I want to buy a new one, but the husband squashes that idea in a hurry. It`s probably for the best.
Topher loves Petsmart – we took him there for his birthday
We were going to get him a beta but I figured it would just be something else for me to take care of, so we decided to wait until he’s a little older. I used to have pet rats – they’re amazing pets, really clean, and very friendly (if you handle them a lot!) If Alberta didn’t have a law against rats – I’d still have one as a pet!
rats. are. gross.
A Beta… that is life on the wild side! I’m not sure I could take a rodent in the house, even if The Husband really wanted one — you’re a better wife than I!