Always Wanting More
So, now that my kids found three turtles and experiences the deaths of two of them, they are begging for a store bought turtle. They seem to think that a store bought turtle won't have the same illnesses or problems that our turtles from the street seem to have had, and that it will be guaranteed a longer life. They also, of course, want a water turtle. It didn't seem to faze them when I explained that we let them have turtles because they were cheap, and that buying an elaborate water sanctuary for a water turtle wouldn't be cheap.
It always seems that the free thing turns into something expensive. I was so happy when they found these turtles - what could be better than a free pet that they could enjoy? But, somehow the free pet has turned into a request for something very costly. What is a mother to do. I keep telling them to go back to the woods - search for more turtles! They keep saying, "Yeah, but mom, what if we don't find any?" And it's a good question. What if they don't? Will I splurge on a new turtle. Can't this one die just as easily? And then I've actually paid for something that then dies. These are the questions in our house at the moment. I guess the answers will reveal themselves with time!
