The Mice Who Were Destined For Greatness

   I always thought that parents who denied their children the joy of owning pets were a little unreasonable.  The word "old fogey" comes to mind.  My opinion changed when I had my own kids.  Feeling that we had our fill with one feather picking parrot, one diabetic dog and four goldfish ( 2 who have since gone to "sleep with the fishes"), I decided that no more pets would be necessary.  The kids tag teamed us with a barrage of requests for more animals. These requests were always denied.....after about a month, our defenses started to weaken.

  "Hey! What about mice...can I get a mouse?", my daughter asked.  The idea of having mice kinda creeped me out, especially because I knew I would end up having to participate in the daily care of this little creature.  Well, one mouse quickly became three (3 children=3 mice).  We surrendered....we attempted to lay out some ground rules about the care and responsibility of  these new additions.  Off to the pet store we went, I'm sure we asked the pet wrangler more than once..."are you sure these are all females?  please no males..we don't want any accidents).  Side note:  mice can have babies every 21 days with a large litter.

  The journey began, wheels, mouse house and biscuits were purchased.  The kids lacked the squirmish instinct we adults have at the idea of reaching their hands  into a pile of mice to pick one up.  Turns out these furry things were actually very trainable and personable...hmmm..who would have thought.  These mice have been with us for several months and have actually become quite lovable and have been featured at our local expert night ( in which the kids showcase projects and expertise).  Some mice are destined for snakes and Decon...others for greatness.