Part Two - The Bearded Mom? Just kidding.

Okay, now where was I? Oh yes, bad parenting decisions and bearded dragons. In case you haven't read it, check out part one here.


Nacho slept for almost 4 months. It's totally normal (and absolutely glorious as a non-willing pet mama) and called brumation. It's like hibernation for lizards. Anyways, during those long months, Chelsea obviously and with good reason, lost interest in the lizard. It was boring. It wasn't new and exciting anymore. So it meant that I was constantly having to nag her and remind her and I just felt so frustrated. This wasn't supposed to be my job! Getting this lizard was a bad decision that wouldn't go away.


Fast forward a few more months and just visualize lots of nagging. We go camping lots during the summer and then we (read: I) had to find a few babysitters for Nacho. We brought her cage to a few houses and it all worked out fine. (Also - Hey Nacho! You know that long sleeping thing you do? Maybe do it during the summer when we are super busy and want to ignore you. That'd be great.)




However, at the end of summer, when we returned from our latest trip, we noticed that she was breathing funny. I did not think too much of it, as bearded dragons can get stressed easily. (Yes, stressed. They get anxious over making sure there's enough food and money for bills. OH WAIT.)


Eventually we had to make a decision about whether or not to take Nacho to the vet. I started adding up the costs in my head - vet bill, medicine, etc. all while Chelsea is sobbing in front of me.


Chris and I (again, mostly me) decided that if the cost was over a certain (albeit ridiculous) amount, we'd make the tough, but fair decision to bring Nacho home, un-medicated. Chelsea was beside herself and devastated, but deep down, I was slightly relieved. No more worrying about the lizard. (Don't judge me. I know you're thinking I'm a terrible person, but COME ON. IT'S A LIZARD!!)


Because of the busy day, Chris had to take Nacho to the vet in the city, alone. This proved to be a mistake as he has such a heart for animals. I knew I was in trouble when he sent me this picture.

A lizard x-ray. Yup. A lizard x-ray, showing a classic lung infection IN A LIZARD. A lizard x-ray showing a classic lung infection that can only be cured with antibiotic injections every three days. INJECTIONS. And yup, Chris bought them.

It didn't matter the total we had agreed upon. Big Softie Daddy would never have been able to disappoint his daughter. We came home and Chelsea has been ever the doting mother since Nacho's return. She emptied her piggy bank to help cover the costs. Because I wasn't at the vet, Chris and Chelsea have bonded over saving Nacho's life. I'm doing very little and loving it.


So let's recap...
Bad parenting decision #1 - letting your not even 10 year old buy an exotic pet.
Bad parenting decision #2 - secretly wishing for an extreme vet bill so that perhaps that exotic pet will go to exotic pet heaven and live a very happy exotic life on a cloud.
Bad parenting decision #3 - sending the softie parent to the vet with the sick animal who would then pay an outrageous amount to keep this thing alive.


Sometimes, when you are a parent, you make a decision and you eventually realize that maybe it was the wrong decision. But over time, you forget. Life goes on and you make a million more decisions, some good and some bad, but you move on.


Unless your bad decision stares you in the face EVERY SINGLE DAY.

The Dragon Mom

As parents, we make so many decisions every day. Hundreds, I'm sure! It starts the moment the alarm goes off - Can I press snooze? (Yes. Always yes.) Can I press snooze again? (Well, that's debatable. How much dry shampoo do you have to use today?) Should I get up and work out? (pfffft... who am I kidding?) Should I wake the kids up already? (but they had a late night - let them sleep a little more!) What am I making for breakfast for the kids? (peanut butter sandwiches for the umpteenth time in a row) What clothes should the kids wear? (times 3 - because you have to choose clothes for all three. Even though you have a hard time choosing clothes for yourself. Also, how many times can you allow the same clothes to be worn in a row? Can I let him wear the same pants two or three times if I change his shirt? Asking for a friend, of course.) Now making school lunches - more decisions. Soup or sandwich? (Oops, out of sandwich meat again. Can I send a peanut butter sandwich even though he had one for breakfast? The answer is yes.) Yogurt or apple sauce? (Both!)




Yes, as parents, we make endless unimportant decisions constantly.




But then there are the big, hard decisions - the decisions that can potentially impact your child's life forever. Sometimes, you antagonize over these decisions and write pro/con lists, ask advice, pray endlessly, research, and then scrap it and flip a coin (well... maybe not). You make what you pray will be the right decision and then you go for it.




And then sometimes you realize HOW WRONG YOU WERE.


Let me start telling you a tale about a bad parenting decision that I've made recently. (I've made many - just only sharing one... for now!)




So, once upon a time, many years ago, (well, two years specifically) Chelsea got to hold a bearded dragon lizard. She fell in love. She spent a solid two years doing research and learning and saving her money. She repeatedly asked if she could buy one and I, being the wise, sarcastic parent that I am said, "Sure. Maybe when you are 12 or 13." thinking, of course, that she would be long over her desire to be a lizard owner.




You see, this whole little plan of mine, failed to take one important thing into account. This little girl has a father - a father who tends to get pretty excited about new things and adventures. Somehow, these two convinced themselves that I said that she could get the dragon when she was 10. TEN... So they gang up. There's many promises made by both Chris and Chelsea, promising that I won't have to do anything for this lizard. (Yeah right!) They will take care of it all. (Snort.) There's some kijiji searching and in November (Yup - she was still 9. I still stand by the fact that I insisted she be 12 or 13!!) last year, Chelsea's dream came true.

Introducing Nacho. Well, technically, the previous owners thought she was a boy and named it Zeus, but after some quick googling, we discovered that she was indeed a girl. So, Nacho it is.

So I'm over here, still convinced that owning Nacho isn't a great idea. (Did you know she has to eat live worms? Like not normal garden worms, but superworms that have mouths and teeth and legs and feet that you have to get shipped to you? And that once they get shipped to you, you have to count them to see how many died in transit?) Well, dear readers, we all know how this is going to play out, right? Me, reminding Chelsea constantly to feed this thing, clean the cage, bathe her, make her salad, water her, etc. etc. and me getting stressed over this thing. Blah.

Then Nacho went into a long hibernation for 4 months - a glorious 4 months of not having to think about this lizard. She just slept and slept and slept and it was good.

(Wow this story is taking forever. Stay tuned for part 2. You might think GETTING the lizard was the poor parenting decision, but I'm barely scratching the surface here.)