We now have more pets than children at our house. After K and D managed to convince me to buy them guinea pigs for their birthday presents months in advance, our good friends announced they would have bunnies available soon. M had been talking about having a pet rabbit for at least a year. She cried when I told her she needed to wait until her birthday for a bunny. I realized she was just as good if not better with the guinea pigs than her older siblings. After realizing our friends would be the best people in the world to buy a bunny from and they had intentionally bred the two rabbits they thought would be best for small children, I was pretty convinced it was the right thing to do. Then, when I picked up K and M from dance class, the girls were holding baby bunnies. There were even three white ones, just like M wanted. There was no way I was going to make her wait an entire year for her dream to come true when it was right there in front of her! I felt trapped and overwhelmed at the idea of having so many pets at our house. I even through a temper tantrum or two when K and D refused to take care of their guinea pigs. But I realized it is so healthy for children to have a pet to take care of and it is teaching them consistency and empathy and responsibility. Yes, I feel like I own a petting zoo, especially when I refereeing the neighbor kids along with my own, but it's fun too.
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