27 Days

When Robbie turned 2, we thought the perfect present for his birthday would be a dog. After all, what kid doesn't love dogs? So, we adopted a little puppy we named Snickers. Snickers lived with us for one week. She was way more work than either of my kids. I was up all night with her whining, she wasn't potty trained, and the one time I walked out in the middle of the night to get her and stepped in, well something gross, is forever ingrained in my memory. After that experience, Jon and I decided that we didn't really want a pet. Any time anyone brings it up, we joke that we already have 4 pets. Of course, as time has gone on, the kids have gotten older, and now desperately want a pet. So, Jon and I came up with this brilliant plan. We told the kids that if they REALLY wanted a pet, they had to ask for 30 days in a row so that we knew they were responsible enough to take care of it. That wasn't the real reason. The real reason we wanted them to ask for 30 days in a row was that they would never remember to do it. At least, that's what we thought. We've had a couple of times where they asked 5 or 6 times, then forgot about it. But, today was day 27 of their latest effort. They not only never forget, but they ask several times a day. So, we're getting a pet. I'm still trying to convince the kids that fish are great pets. But I'm not sure that's going to happen. Frankly, we don't have a great track record with fish. We killed one of Randi & CJ's that we were watching while they were on vacation. How hard is it to take care of a fish? Emily really wants a gerbil. Robbie and Adam (at the moment) want a dog. At least Adam doesn't want a monkey anymore. I'll settle for something that doesn't stink and doesn't shed all over. Any brilliant suggestions? We have absolutely no idea, other than we're not getting a cat. (Robbie's allergic, and we have friends who can't come over if we get one.) Better yet, anyone have any ideas on how to talk 3 kids out of getting a pet?!?