Time for a New Addition?

Thomas loves animals. He inherited that from me and I in turn inherited it from my Mother. After all I am the girl who at the age of nine, took her favourite pet chicken (a big white one which we named Lips) to school for show and tell. The average nine year old isn't too thrilled by the aroma of chicken poop so I wouldn't recommend anybody else follow my example. Everybody far preferred the cute kitten that my classmate decided to bring the next week. A kitten will always eclipse a chicken in the cuteness stakes sadly, but that's life!

Whenever we visit my mum all we ever hear about all the way there and usually for several days afterwards is Max, Max, Max and more Max. Max is my mum's dog and yes he is incredibly adorable but Thomas was even in agreement when I suggested we take Eli to Nanny's house and trade him for Max. Such is the allure of a dog. The novelty is due to the fact that Max is the only dog they ever see. In fact out of a farm or zoo he is one of only two animals they ever see, the other being a rabbit. The rabbit in question 'Raphael' once attacked Thomas and bit his leg so he's not exactly fierce competition for Max.

The last three weeks I have had to take both boys grocery shopping thanks to the Easter break. These trips have been enjoyably uneventful compared to some so I am not complaining. But Thomas has developed a great interest in the Fish Counter. Now I haven't pointed out that those fish are actually dead. I don't know what he thinks they're doing laying there all still and dry. Maybe he thinks that's how fish sleep who knows? But as soon as we get in the Supermarket he keeps asking if it's time to see the fish. I oblige because it costs nothing and he seems to love it. Plus it saves us driving to the pet shop to see the actual live and swimming fish. Win-win!

So this last week we went to a different Tesco that has a larger Fish Counter, a huge array of fish corpses on display. He was overjoyed! I on the other hand was not. I am not a big fish fan and I find the smell of a fish counter deeply nauseating. The most adventurous I get with fish is opening up a can of tuna, that suits me just fine! I'm not bothered about Omega 3 anyhow, even an overdose of Omega 3 isn't gonna repair the damage to my brain caused by my two pregnancies.

The lady behind the counter was amused by Thomas oohing and aahing and exclaiming wow at all the different kinds of fish laying their in their icy mass grave. The lady asked him if he liked fish and he said 'They're so cute!' (Cute? Fish? Seriously. What is cute about scales and fins?) then he cupped his hands and reached out toward her and asked if he could hold one. She obviously said no because who wants to eat a fish that has been handled by a toddler? Nobody! He pleaded as he does "Please, Please!" but still she declined.

I'm thinking when your kid is begging to hold a dead fish at the supermarket it is time to branch out and buy him his own pet or stop taking him to the supermarket altogether.