My oldest son who is 15 has a very old dog that was rehomed to us. She is very protective but a real sweetheart who loves to go camping with us and also enjoys the occasional ride along. She is always loyal and loving. As is my son. Reliable and loyal and quick to get his chores done with only a gentle reminder. (Don't get me wrong he isn't perfect, but he is the easiest teenager I have ever heard of)
My almost 14 year old daughter has a very feisty male cat who sneaks onto the kitchen counters whenever possible but loves a good snuggle in the afternoon. My daughter is also feisty and likes to see how far she can push me before I scream. She was an easy baby and also an easy child for the most part. (She is an A student and never puts off homework-I wish she could teach her little brother that trick)So being a bit tougher as a teen is not the worst problem to have. She does have a strong faith and loves to cuddle up at the end of the day which melts all the tension away. These are a few of her memes with pinguino.
My 12 year old son (who is also my wacky child) has a snail. Yes, I said a snail. 🐌 It was in his room but because I am afraid his ability to remember to take care of it could kill this little guy quickly, we decided to keep him in the kitchen. He sits next to my coffee pot and I can entertain myself while I wait for my next cup of Joe.
I absolutely love the cat and the dog that need to be petted and bathed and fed often. But this little guy (who I don't feel the need to touch unless I am snailsitting while my son cleans his aquarium) has quickly become a favorite of mine. You can buy snails at the pet store but we found this guy on a fishing trip and researched his nutritional and habitat needs and discovered that we can keep up with his needs with next to nothing in costs which in this day and age is a definite plus.
If you asked my husband, he would say that I favor the wacky child in the same way. Well sometimes, I do. But any mother knows that each child is favored in one way or another.
This wacky child of mine knows his faith, loves with his whole heart and is like a ray of sunshine to every person he meets. Eventually he might get on your nerves because he has no respect for personal space and cannot sit in silence to save his neck. But we have to accept the flaws to enjoy the good qualities. My son is like his snail in that, he takes forever to accomplish most tasks. Although I would rather not be in close proximity to him 24/7, I love his heart, his sincerity and the funny stuff you never expect to come out of his mouth. A snail is the perfect critter for this 12 year old boy. It's a bit different pet like he is and he can't talk it's ear off because it doesn't have ears. Lol
In case you are planning to keep a snail of your own, please first research the type of snail you discovered and find out what his needs are. Ours is a typical land snail who can drown so we have him in an aquarium with a shallow amount of water to keep his environment humid and 2 large rocks in the bottom for him to move around on. And for us to put his food on. We feed him a small slice of tomato, cucumber or apple. He also eats lettuce and dandelion leaves (we make sure we use ones that have not been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides.) He also needs a source of calcium to maintain his shell so we crush eggshells and keep in an old medicine bottle to sprinkle in from time to time.
I am always amazed at nature and smart way in which God created us all. Pets are a big responsibility as are children. We love these friends that God has blessed us with and I pray that all people take good care of the children and pets that they accumulate.
