I Bargained with a Kid and Lost

I finally did it. I made a bargain with my son and now I am absolutely regretting it.

It’s no secret that this school year has been challenging to say the least. But I promised him that if he would just get his school work done every day with me helping him for this past nine weeks, I would get him something, anything, he wanted.

This was the worst thing I could’ve done.

Most kids would ask for a toy or video game. Not my kid. Oh no. He wants an axolotl.

I didn’t even know what that was or how to spell it, but here I am being baptized in all things surrounding this regenerative salamander by a nine-year-old boy.  

He finds them both interesting and cute and I can see why with their little smiles.

First of all, I thought I would just make this deal with my son under the radar of my husband, who is vehemently against the idea of any living creature being added to this house. Well, that didn’t last because if you want someone to keep a secret, do not, under any circumstances share things with my son. He is very extroverted, and well, things just have a habit of flying out of his mouth. Just like when he told my husband “Mommy said if I do all my schoolwork and finish the year strong, she’s going to get me an axolotl.”

Lucy, you got some ‘splainin’ to do.

I got the look. You know what look I’m talking about. The one that says “Over my dead body am I letting anything that breathes or I wind up taking care of, or the cat gets ahold of and eats being allowed to come into this house.”

So now, I’m at a panic. The school year is dwindling down. How am I going to find one of these things and sneak it into the house?

I contemplated sending Mr. Mexican Walking Fish over to his grandmother’s house until I started to fear the size it would become. She has a habit of overfeeding and all of her animals look like they could pop at any moment. Can you picture an obese salamander? Me either.

I’m unsure how this is all going to play out but I will never strike a bargain with a kid again.