pets are suppose to teach children about responsibilities, empathy and love. that's why we got them some pet fish when they asked for a dog and some dwarf hamsters when they again asked for a dog. it's not my fault that our condo doesn't allow dogs.

however, i don't think the pets are doing a very good job in educating the kids. they are next to being forsaken and forgotten. someone else has taken over the job of cleaning and feeding. inevitable. kids' attention span is as long as one episode of ben 10. that's why they split it into 30 minutes episodes and not dragging on-and-on-and-on like the korean dramas. after an attack of conscience, i wanted to return the hamsters to the shop, to give them a second lease of life and new owners who will remember to play with them. that's when the little one decided that he loves little hammies and can't bear to give them away. that's when his renewed enthusiasm for hamsters was unleashed and he gave them a second glance again. only to realise that one little hamster has a growth on her ear. i'm guessing it's a tumour. the little one is now crying for me to take her to the vet. seriously. her great-grandparents cost me like $10 each and i'm suppose to spend hundreds of dollars on surgery, medication and doctor? don't take me wrong, i'm very a very emphatic person; that's why i wanted to return them to the shop in the first place. i don't think that we should be keeping them isolated and caged, but to spend a bundle on this small animal whose lifespan extends only perhaps another few months more, i can't help but feel that it is money wasted. especially after reading that such pocket animals do not take well to surgeries with their small hearts and all. sigh. so, this animal finally taught my son to be emphatic, to be loving, to be caring, but i have to say no? i don't even know how to explain to him. there shouldn't be a price on a life, but in reality, i can't deny that there would be better use of that money. to say that its life is not worth saving is crude, heartless even. i have another 4 hamsters growing older each day. i never thought that there will come a day when there is a distinction between what is the right thing to do and what is ethically right.