Dog.
Pool.
Stairs.
These are the Top 3 items on my kids' list of the things they want. I had the same items on my list as a child.
I never got the stairs or the pool but the dog came, although many, many years after I first started begging my parents for one.
I'm not of the "I never had that as a child, so why should you?" style of thinking. I'm more of the "I want you to have what I never had," parenting style. It's just that now is not the right time for a dog, a pool, or stairs. The dog? Well, maybe someday.
In the meantime, we've got a vibrant colony of Sea-Monkeys! I know, it's not a dog, but Sea-Monkeys make awesome first pets!
My last experience with Sea Monkeys was a disaster. My friend Owen had asked me, his trusted friend and co-worker, to watch over his tank full of Sea-Monkeys in my cube while he was away for a few days.
Things were going well and I was on my way to being the best pet sitter evah - that is, until I dropped them.
It happened in seconds, the rush of water, the panic, the helplessness I felt as nearly the entire population of Owen's Sea-Monkeys went plummeting into my cubicle carpeting. I swear I saw one trapped in a water bubble, giving me the evil eye and hurling curses my way as he sank into the thirsty carpet and vanished.
Oh, the trauma! Then I lied - I lied! - to Owen, shrugging my shoulders at the noticeable decline in Sea-Monkey population. I'd refilled the tiny tank with bottled water, hoping the frisky Sea-Monkey would repopulate before Owen returned.
It wasn't until much later, that I confessed. Not sure if Owen ever forgave me.
So now, here we are with our own Sea-Monkeys. They make me nervous. Where to put them, so they'll be safe? We might knock them over here, we might knock them over there. It's too cold the corner, it's too hot on the windowsill. So much worry.
They're a month old now, our Sea-Monkeys. They were a Christmas present to my son, who is 7. "Look, guys," I said to the newly hatched Sea-Monkeys, "There's your dad!" (knee-slap!) I pointed to my son who looked at me, rolled his eyes and said, "And there's your grandma!"
They were barely visible to the naked eye a month ago, but now there are about a dozen big ones, most of whom have paired up with a mate. Together, they perform water acrobatics through the water, like an x-rated underwater game of crack the whip. There are many mamas-to-be in our tank.
Not a single one of our Sea-Monkeys looks human, or even alien, as they are marketed to look. I think it's a rite of passage to feel that twinge of disappointment when kids realize their Sea-Monkeys' do not carry tridents or play checkers or wear clothes.
Just think, I've given my boys fodder to answer the oft-asked, online security question: What was your first pet? Sea-Monkeys! Isn't that awesome? Now maybe we should give our Sea-Monkeys names, because sometimes, the security question asks, "Name of first pet?"
So the dog, the pool, the stairs still remain on my kids' list of what they most desire. At least now, we've bought ourselves a little time. Sea-Monkeys are more like rock crystal growing kit than they are a dog, but I'm thinking we'll give our Sea-Monkeys canine names, like Marey and Gizmo and Bear.
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