Pets as gift – to keep or not to keep? Uncle VV, the Great, brought the kids for a pond fishing trip. And what do ya know, my little one caught her first catch – a sizeable tilapia.
Wonder why Uncle VV prefer to show the ass view of the catch?!?The reward for their catch, they all received a live Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens)! My little one got all excited and pleaded to allow her to keep her live prize. Personally, I think this practice of giving away live animals, as reward, should stop.
I am sure, there are many kids, after the initial excitement, would simply chuck the poor fish aside like some forgotten rag doll. The difference is, this is a living creature and with neglect, it’ll die a very slow, and needlessly, painful death in the hands of these brats!
Ours was a beautiful Betta and my little one named it ‘Chicken Little’. Don’t ask what inspired her to come out with that name. When we brought it home, on closer examination, Chicken Little has only one eye left! Poor chap must have fought a hard fight with other Bettas, lost an eye and given away as a ‘reward’.
My honest first impulse, since it is free and it is not a perfect looking fish, just throw it away lah! But is that the right thing to do? What values am I conveying to my kid? That living things that are not ‘perfect’ or flawed has no value? Then again, should I take my daughter's achievement, in this case, her prize catch, no matter how small or little, that lightly? I stopped myself and decided to do the right thing – One-Eye Chicken Little will be cared for as long as it lives.
Of course the kid promised to look after Chicken Little. But alas, after two days of feeding it, it is daddy who takes over the entire caring of Chicken Little!
Just BECAUSE your kid wants it, if you have no feeling nor love for animals, don’t ever own a pet. Be it a fish, hamster, cat or dog, if you decide to have one, prepare to look after that creature YOURSELF till its life expires.
Imagine, buy a pet (because the little want say it’s cute, I want it!) and when you’re tired of it, just throw or give it away. Think for a moment, how are you shaping your child with your callous action concerning a living, breathing creature?
Truth is, at their age, they haven’t quite grasped the concept of ownership and responsibilities. So the onus is on the parent. Conversely, there are many valuable life lessons we can instill in the child while owning a pet, which I’ll share in time to come.
I am glad to say, Chicken Little is with us since June last year, and it’s well and healthy. btw, should someone stop this pond fishing place from giving away live pets as reward?
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