We have two house guests for the next couple of weeks. A turtle and a hamster. I’d offered to sit for the hamster thinking it would help teach Kaitlyn that having a pet rodent isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. (in her mind)
They arrived yesterday afternoon. So far, Kaitlyn has tried to move the hamster into her doll house (and I don’t think she understands why I vetoed that), driven him crazy putting him into his exercise ball only to plunk him right out, drawn him a picture to hang by his cage, gone to the store to buy special treats for him (ok, I did drive there and pay for it but I did manage to talk her out of buying him a special cage one could use to tote his pet rodent around), and now she is playing hide and seek with him. Which should have me far more worried than I am that a hamster is potentially running loose in the house. But Kaitlyn isn’t screaming enough for me to think that’s the case.
Truth is, she loves that stupid thing. This plan of mine isn’t working. Maybe she’ll find the cleaning up part unbearable.
The true test will be in two weeks when the guest rodents (one being a mere shell of the other) return to their home base. Then what will Mommy do to replace the sudden void in Kaitlyn’s life? Alas, time to introduce a pet rock, or robotic baby while the rodents are still around. Don’t rodents attract wasps, which Kaitlyn wouldn’t be thrilled with, and could be reason to rid the house of rodents with no permanent replacements as live-ins.