You Wrote: >Through our own show of responsibility, he will hopefully learn how to be >responsible. He will have chores and he'll hate them ALL, but he'll be >the envy of all his friends. He will never be alone, as he will always >have a critter to cuddle. Is any of this possible? YES! Mine is raised with cats, dogs, chickens, ducks, a pigeon and various other rescued birds, Rats, snakes, tons of critters! Yes, he will learn by the example, but he still has to be told to feed his ferret every now and then and gets a stern lecture. I'd happily take over for you when your baby comes! I'm so glad to hear that you get to be a skinkid Mom after all you've been through. I have always wanted to rescue wild animals too not just domestic ones. I truly envy you that you have big cats and ringtails! How wonderful your home must be. My Mom refers to my place as Noah's ark, as we have at least two of everything <G>! Don't worry that your baby's major intake of dietary fiber will be pet hair. Don't worry about kisses and crusty slobber coatings on his/her face from the animals. Or paw prints on their bib, or the baby toddling over to share the dog's kibble. I know people whose kids learned to walk by grabbing fists full of dog hair and coasting along until they got their momentum and launched off on their own. These same kids teethed on nylabones, rubber Kongs, and other dog toys. Who cares if your kid can't speak perfect English, but can chatter in several dialects of dog, wallaby, and cougar. Kids in my house fall into the lump category of "critters". A critter is anything that walks, crawls, swims, flies, or slithers in this household. Even two-edged. Basically, don't let ANYONE convince you that you gotta give up your critters to have a kid. Kids and critters all belong together. Of course, you have to supervise interaction until the child learns their pets are not automated fuzzie toys, but they will come to understand that their siblings are a little different from most in the long run. people will look at you funny when you say you have a hundred kids, and only one without fur. WHO cares??? Enjoy the blessings of motherhood and if you need to whine, cheer, or commiserate, I'm here for ya! Kim Wolf Mystyx Samoyeds, Ferrets and Rescue www.geocities.com/mystyx_samoyedsnferrets www.mystyxrescue.petfinder.org [Posted in FML issue 3585]