One thing I love about Christmas is that it reminds me of my childhood, which was perfect in just about every way. I never got a turtle for Christmas, but this blog entry by Judith Warner in the New York Times and many of the comments made me think about my childhood and all the pets we had (including several turtles), Shells of Our Affection:
I’d been saying no to the turtle for the better part of six months. We have a dog – another product of my caving in to family pressure – and I thought that was enough. But a turtle was, Emilie said, the only thing she wanted. More than an iPod. More than an American Girl doll. More than a karaoke set blaring the world’s most horrendous music.
The “one-sided love affair” is a bit of a danger. A child probably wants an interactive pet, one that will return affection. You can’t expect a turtle to wag its tail or purr when it’s happy. But there is something to be said for learning how to take care of a pet, being responsible for something/someone other than oneself, and doing it out of love.
The topic of pets recalls Hawaii’s comment in The Lord is good to all, Compassionate to every creature.:
The thing about being a pet owner – if you are doing right – is that it is an absolute unselfish act. You take in an animal knowing you are likely to outlive it, and therefore experience grief at the loss. But you do it anyway. You bring the animal home, nurture it, train, love it, care for it, and eventually help move it into the next world. And then you do it all again. And again. And even again.
A pet can become a complicated gift for a child — and the family. But growing up with a pet can be the first step in learning how to be an unselfish, caring person.
And any kid who prefers a turtle over an iPod or a doll is A-OK by me.
NB: As several people commented on Warner’s post, you don’t have to go to a pet store to get a pet. A lot of pets are in animal shelters, having the misfortune of living longer than their owner’s affection lasted or just becoming an “inconvenience.” Coming from a long line of pet-lovers, I cannot understand that at all. One of my cousins endured years of allergy shots and what-not because she grew allergic to the stray cat that her family adopted, but there was no way they were going to give up the cat. He lived to the ripe old age of 18.
PS: I wasn’t exactly the neatest, cleanest kid growing up, but even with pet turtles I never once got Salmonella poisoning.
