"Chris has loved everything creepy and crawly from a very young age, much to my chagrin. As it turns out, my husband took our son to a pet store where he bought him a late birthday present: a tarantula. Chris is thrilled with it. I absolutely am not. My husband never consulted me or ever gave me any inkling that he was planning to get the spider for our son. He confessed that he figured I would say no (he's right!) and wanted to give me a chance to see how happy the tarantula made Chris."
"If anyone understands not wanting to live with creepy crawly things, it's me. I jump at any small creature wandering around-in or out of cages-so I absolutely understand your feelings. But you're right: Now that your son has his pet, you can't just get rid of it. Your husband may have gotten the tarantula behind your back, but that's not you"
A mother returned from a funeral to find a tarantula her husband had secretly bought for their 13-year-old son. The son is thrilled and the mother is fearful and furious. The husband anticipated refusal and acted without consulting her. The mother worries that forcing the child to give up the pet will damage their relationship. Keeping the tarantula while establishing clear care responsibilities, safety measures, and firm household boundaries can address the mother's fear, maintain the child's joy, and require improved spousal communication and mutual decision-making.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]