For months I have had to pry my laptop out of my youngest hands when I wanted to use it and he isn’t playing video games.
He is reading about lizards, reptiles, amphibians, and every other hairless creature that makes the average person scream. He is reading about authors who write about lizards. Nic Bishop is an author and photographer that is his hero. I tried to find Mr. Bishop at a book signing. I was willing to drive a great distance for Peter to meet his idol, but no luck.
He is shopping for books to buy about lizards and ultimately he is shopping for lizards.
Every time he asks I remind him we have a dog and hermit crabs. He keeps asking and so I now say, “sure, as soon as your wife agrees, one day.”
He then began catching all sort of critters in the pond and creek in our backyard
All I could imagine was him
catching flesh-eating bacteria.
Then summer vacation came and I just wanted to go to Ikea.
I am the last person on the planet that hasn’t been to one, (well, not last but last of the people that probably WANT to go.)
The big boys balked at the idea of making a pilgrimage to a store so big you have to follow arrows on the ground, even with meatballs promised.
I convinced Peter to go with me as we needed dog food and this would mean a trip to the pet store on the way. He asked the employees at the pet store if he could hold some of the critters.
I don’t know how it happened but we both fell in love with the Bearded Dragon hatchling.
I told him we would talk about it but we were on our way to Ikea now.
He called my husband at the office and lobbied for the Lizard for the hour it took to get to Ikea. My husband discussed it with me.
Frankly, he has been so obsessed that I was getting worried he was getting a little OCD about them. I was beginning to think it might be a good idea. After all, I have boys and owning a reptile was inevitable, right?
During the drive I finally told him we agreed to let him get one.
Four hours at Ikea and all he talked about was when we were going to get his new pet and all the ways he would introduce people to his new best friend.
I gave up and at 8:50pm we ran into a pet shop and bought a cute little guy.
We bought most of the the reptile aisle as well.
This includes live crickets, a cricket home, and cricket food, (shoot me.)
This also includes live meal worms that must be kept in the fridge, (shoot me again.)
to grow to be two feet long!
We will need a larger terrarium and even more heat
lamps and Peter tells me he can walk him on a leash.
I keep telling Peter he wont be walking him on a leash if he doesn’t stop “loving” on him so much. I told him that the little guy is adjusting to his new home and needs to stay in his cage but I found Peter asleep like this…
I should have bought a secret “back-up dragon” just in case.He is in LOVE.Abbie, All that makes you smile, laugh, think, love, cry or cry laughing
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Oh my gosh – you caved! I didn’t see that coming. The picture of him walking it on a leash hits close to home, and my nine-year-old who also would do just such a thing.
I caved! I CAVED in a BIG way! I kept thinking this obsession is not going to subside until we do this and then I told myself that there were so many lessons to be learned… I caved. 🙁 It is super sweet and I love that it changes colors, (didn’t know that they did that and I guess not all do.) If it gets him excited about something and reading and caring for another being I guess we have to try. He will so have it on a leash, if it lives that long. :/
1) I am so glad I have girls because I couldn’t handle a lizard.
2) You are awesome for agreeing to it and then going to get it so late!!
3) He will always remember this which is worth it all.
4) I am in love with the last picture.
Great post! Enjoy!
I have to keep it in perspective. Lizard now and hopefully no giant holes in his face later or tear tattoos. 😉 I got it so late because I knew he would never go to sleep and would be hounding me the whole next day until I took him! Memories are golden. 🙂
Great post! My dudes have been begging me for a lizard. I am trying to hold off for a little longer, but it is all they can talk about.
He has been talking about it FOREVER so I knew it wasn’t a phase. He researched it and wanted a Jacksons chameleon but they don’t like to be held and die easily. The bearded dragons are like cats and dogs with wanting affection. We tried geckos but they hissed and snapped and the “beardie” was just so sweet, (and slow.) 😉
Hahaha, you caved! I have to admit that the ‘little guy’ is cute (well, both little guys, lol). Raising boys is definitely not for the faint of heart! (Perhaps you should invest in a small pop fridge to keep dragon food and … um … other experiments … separate from family food? Hehehe.) 😀
Oh, dude…we ended up having the PERFECT place for the live critters that will soon be food. 🙁 We have a wet bar in the bonus room, (we call it the “school room” as it is where the kids do their homework) and we are keeping the little fellow on the counter right above a mini fridge and next to a sink. Still grosses me out! BTW, it cracks me up you said pop! No one says pop in the south. I say pop since I grew up in Michigan but everyone says soda here! ha ha!
I totally caved when a boy teased him and called him “reptile boy” and it made him cry. I figured he loves reptiles and he wants to take care of one. Many lessons to be learned, (possibly including you can love something to death!)
Ahhh, but Abbie, I’m a Canadian, eh? 😀
I was too when I was 16 and could drive to Windsor and they would let minors into dance clubs! 😉 I grew up 50 minutes from Windsor, I am aware Windsor is not at all a good representation of Canada. 😉
I’ve never been to IKEA and, frankly, don’t plan to. So you weren’t the last.
I get hives at places like Walmart and the YMCA. IKEA sounded like my personal hell. IKEA is also known for great storage ideas. I love storage ideas. I spend a great deal of time organizing and then not keeping it organized and then having to reorganize… Anyway, boys are getting new bedrooms and closets and so I wanted to go check it out. I found it fascinating. You follow an arrow. I hate being corralled and I found this super helpful from the standpoint of making sure I see it all. Anyway, I like looking at any good storage ideas as well as any good business model. Take me to a Honda facility and I would get just as excited as visiting a mall.