Snake, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

I know I have mentioned recently that The Boy continues to loose that total sweet demeanor more and more everyday. It continues to be true. He is still a sweet kid to me and his sister. He still cares about people's feelings and whether or not they are fitting in with the group. He hates to see people lonely, especially his peers. I think this is a great quality as long as it is balanced. Throughout the summer, I have seen the balance come in full force. My little boy officially loves everything slinky and slimy and covered in scales. It is GREAT!

A few weeks ago, The Boy told me that he wanted a pet. After our crazy dog fiascoes (one my fault, the other The Husband's), I am a little shy to warm up to the idea of another pet. I really thought The Boy was going to tell me, per his father's direction, that he wanted a puppy. I was going to have to break his little heart by telling him that it isn't going to happen. We are not going to be a dog family, even as much as we would like to think that we are, we are not at this time even going to go down that road. I like dogs. I will play with dogs that are not a part of my family. But, now is not the time for us to introduce another in need of training being into our already chaotic family. Talk to me again in 5-7 years, maybe.

I was worried about the wrong kind of animal. The Boy indicated that he would like a reptile or an amphibian. This is a whole different ball game, but in my mind I am thinking we could do this. We could get a little frog or a turtle, put in in a little aquarium. It might be fun. So, I told The Boy we would have to do some research. Luckily for us, we have two family friends who are into this kind of thing. One is an environmental consultant/ecologist/biologist, etc. and the other is a soil scientist. Both know a lot about reptiles and amphibians among other things. Check out Mark's website. Every moment in our house has the potential to be a learning moment, this was no exception.

So, The Boy wrote a letter to Mark. It was very simple..."Dear Mark, What kind of reptile or amphibian should I get? Nicholas" The response was amazing. I expected Mark to write back and suggest something, but instead, he and his lovely wife, the soil scientist, send back a note with some homework (gotta love that) and pamphlets on snakes. Plus, The Boy got a poster tube with four different posters outlining snakes, salamanders, turtles and frogs native to our state. The Boy couldn't have been more excited. More stories related to these gifts and pictures to come. Stay tuned.