We (everyone except Robin) had been looking around for a new little pet and couldn’t quite decide.
I (Erica) had printed out info on little pets, but we weren’t quite sure what to do.
After lots of looking around, the boys and I headed home where I found a good deal on Craigslist.
$10 for a mouse and all the accessories! I figure this is a win-win. They get a pet, it doesn’t cost much and if bad comes to worse, we let our little friend run away in fields of green. Problem solved.
Well, we went to pick up the mouse that afternoon. The girl said to give her an hour. Suspicious? Nah.
So, an hour later we go pick up such a sweet little mouse.
The young college girl and her friend come out carrying our newly treasured family addition.
“Here you go” she proclaims. “Sometimes he scratches a lot and looks kind of nappy, but he is good”
“Oh, and you might want to use a washcloth the first time they hold him, just in case he is nervous, I wouldn’t want them to get bit.”
Did she just refer to a mouse as “nappy”? This is were the red flag pops up, but apparently it didn’t wave hard enough because we were full steam ahead.
“Oh, look how cute!”
We got home, got the new little creature set up in the boys bedroom.
Bedtime rolled around and we headed upstairs to their bedroom.
Except for one minor problem. The room REEKED of cute little mouse pee. The puzzle pieces are now coming together. Mouse, $10, cage and all.
Within about 15 minutes our new little addition got moved to the garage.
At this point, we aren’t sure what will become of “spider man/peter parker”, but for now he resides in the garage.
So, tonight at dinner, the eight year old is devising a plan on how to oust the new little friend, while his brother is figuring out how to add other animals.
The six year old says “let’s get a bird!”
The eight year old says “Poppa, let’s get fish!”
At that moment, my precious husband gets up from the table walks to the carpet and assumes the fetal position.
All I hear is “WHY PEOPLE! ”
I begin laughing hysterically.
Our dog “Pearl”
If you have ever seen Beethoven the movie, you can just insert my husband as the main guy. Minus the miserable attitude, his general feelings toward animals are spot on.
You see, I grew up with a mom that let me harbor almost any animal I could think of.
Here is the list:
Fish
Birds
Lizards
Hedgehog
Dogs
Cats
Pot bellied pig
So, needless to say, I feel like my kids should at least have the opportunity to have a pet, or two, or three.
My poor husband.
Kennady on the other hand is down with whatever animal we choose, as long as it lets her bite it.
Chasing Calves and Riding Sheep! It all happens plus a lot more at small town rodeos in Texas! Check out these short videos of our adventures in Wimberley, TX this past weekend.
In Spain, bulls chase men! However, in Texas we tie ribbons on cows’ tails and see if our kids and pull them off for prizes. It’s called a calf scramble!
Kids (under 60lbs) can get on a sheep and see how long they can stay on! Here are our boys giving it a shot.
After our last post on “Curiosityis OK“, we had the question brought up: “What should you say or how should you ask questions about someone’s special needs child.”
Great question. Here is our stab at that question. Disclaimer: We only know our situation and personality. I am sure that other parents might feel differently. In fact, other parents that read our blog, PLEASE give us your input.
From our point of view:
Genuine questions from anyone are better than long stares. It is ok to ask questions. It is awkward for everyone for you to stare long term. If your kids are staring at Kennady, it is completely appropriate for you to say, “She is different from us. Would you like to ask them how she is different?” At that point, if your child is interested (90% of time they are) you can approach the parent. If your child is not interested, you could end with something like, “Not everyone is the same. Some people can’t walk, others don’t talk well. Just because someone is not like us, doesn’t mean that they are bad or wrong or not ‘like’ us.” Teachable moment.
Sincere heart. Whether you are with your kids or alone and you want to speak to someone with a special needs child, show your heart. Smile, be sincere. Most likely the parent of the child knows everyone is staring and is looking for people that will accept them and be interested in making them feel normal. Compliment them.
Opening lines. Here are some ways to open the conversation. Of course these depend on your situation and the other family:
“Your family is beautiful…please tell me about your son/daughter”
Offer to help if there is a quick need at the grocery store, bank, etc.
“I would love to hear more about your son/daughter”
Ask specific questions about the scenario: “have you found it hard to find parking spots” …
Keep going. If you are flowing in conversation and you both have time. You can ask things like:
What are your biggest challenges?
What is school like?
How could our community help families like you better?
What if you say something wrong? Over the last 10 years, we have only found one statement that kind of gets on our nerves: “God only allows for special parents to have kids like these…” We heard that a lot from people early on (with the best intentions). After a while, we said, “We don’t want to be special. We would love to be normal.”
I wouldn’t try to give deep encouragement/advice unless you know them really well.
Just be friendly, interested, accepting, and helpful.
Little kids always come up and stare at Kennady. We have the opportunity to tell them about being born different, her brain is different, her legs don’t work, etc. They continue to look puzzled and then “it” clicks and they warm up to Kennady. Many of them hang out with her and like to play with her. Here is a pic of us talking to some kids at a park recently.
It is interesting how adults are so timid and kids are so blunt. As adults, we are scared that we will make people feel uncomfortable. We are afraid we will say something wrong or stare too long. Coming from our perspective, we are glad when people ask about Kennady, her condition, and her story.
What People are Saying