Thursday, November 6, 2008

Our new addition

No, unfortunately I'm not referring to my sweet little Aidan. Our new addition is Tanner's new pet. My 12-year-old is the proud owner of a 6-foot boa constrictor named Bo. He's as excited as any 12-year-old boy could be, as you can see by the gigantic smile on his face:
Here's another pic, this more of a "look how cool my new snake is" shot:
He brought some friends home to admire Bo today, and they were definitely impressed. I felt pretty awesome standing there next to Tanner, with a snake wrapped around his neck and shoulders, as his friends both said, "My mom would never let me have a pet snake. She's too scared of them."

So let's be honest. Am I scared of Bo? I was running errands last night while Tanner and John went to purchase the snake. On my way home, I vowed to go inside and hold the snake and feign excitement to make Tanner feel good. When I walked into the room and saw how big the snake really is, I was a bit taken aback. I decided that Bo and I might need to warm up to each other a little before we start snuggling. But I'm not scared of him. We've had enough snakes in the past that I'm not afraid to touch them, and I know that boas don't bite. I'm a little nervous about the whole constriction thing, but if Tanner can handle the thing, I should be alright, right? I did have a little scare today when I poked my head into Tanner's room to check on Bo and found myself looking at an empty tank. My heart just about stopped beating - until I saw him coiled up in his gigantic water dish. You don't have to be terrified of snakes to be a little worried about having a 6-foot boa slithering around your house unattended.

By the way, here is one of Katelyn's snakes, which we have had for a few weeks. (John found one while he was fishing, then got the other at the pet store.) They're very skinny and only 10 to 12 inches long. Their names are Fred and Snakey. I'm definitely not scared of them, but I have to admit that I have yet to hold either of them.


Now, please pray for me that I won't wake up to a large boa missing from his cage and one of my cats strangled and swallowed whole!

4 comments:

Stephanie said...

Hilarious! I love your comment about taking some time to "warm up to" Bo before "snuggling" with him. Classic! Yeah, Tanner's a lucky kid. I don't think my kids will ever be able to even dream of owning such a pet. Good luck to you! And tell Tanner he looks pretty cool in the pictures!

Angela said...

WOW!!! I cannot believe you have snakes in your house! I wouldn't be able to sleep. Good luck with them! Tanner looks happy

Anonymous said...

What a big snake! Now you're the "cool" mom who lets your kids have snakes! You're very brave- you sure are good at adapting to unexpected situations without getting all bent out of shape but actually having fun with it!- it's a good example to the rest of us! I showed James the pictures and he thought they looked cool. I too loved the thought of you and Bo snuggling...

Lucy said...

Melanie, I'm sorry, but that just gives me the willies. You are an incredibly cool mom for even allowing it. I would not touch it. No way.