My sons, though, have never had pets.  Their mother didn’t like animals.  So imagine my surprise when the youngest one, aged 18 calls me to tell me that he is getting a hamster.

I don’t see anything good coming out of this.

This is the child who has a hard enough time keeping track of  himself, much less another sentient being.  I am envisioning the withered corpse of a rodent in a cage in my sons room.

Not a pretty sight.

Namaste.