Growing up, my sister and I had goldfish and parrots for pets. When I was in middle school, I had begged my mom for a cat because a good friend at school had one and little kittens were so cute. But mom said no. "Too much trouble and too dirty."
My kids have been asking for a pet, a dog or a cat, for quite some time. About two years ago, we took a Chihuahua puppy home but it simply did not work out. Training the puppy, training the kids, and training the kids to train the puppy, was more than we could handle. Besides, I was working outside the home. The puppy stayed with us for less than two months. Daniel named her Jill.
They still want a dog but "a cat is good too". Recently free kittens were offered to us on several occasions by neighbors and friends. Considering that cats are generally low maintenance, Guibo and I finally said "yes" to the boys, "you could get a kitten if you are willing to take care of the kitten chores". "Yes! We will!" was the eager answer. So, there came the new member. He came to us by the end of October, and is 3 months old now. Daniel named him Oscar, but we usually call him kitty. The kitten is a very active and playful little thing. He likes to climb. He had broken a Christmas figurine. And we had to rescue him from the back of our refrigerator in the middle of the night because he climbed on the counter and fell through the crack.
The kids love him. Daniel has been very responsible for his kitten chores, although he often shows more compassion toward the kitten than toward his little brother.
It's funny how my views have changed over the years. I can totally understand my mom now. Had it not been for the children's sake, I would not have voted for a cat or a dog. Oh, the things we parents would do for our children. Guibo, who has never liked cats, didn't complain once about the trouble and inconvenience the kitten brings.
