I had to pick up some wine a few days ago, but I had the kids with me, so I told them we’d stop next door at Petco to sweeten up the deal. What kid wants to go wine shopping? When Nora and Frances were little, I used to walk them in the stroller to That Fish Place as a sort of mini zoo experience. I was thinking this would go something like that. Instead of taking turns looking at all the animals with mild interest, the kids enthusiastically asked for various pets at every tank, cage and crate we passed.

“Mom! Can we get a turtle? Please?”

“No.”

“How about a hamster?”

“No.”

“What about this mouse? Please? It’s only six dollars. We’ll pay for everything. The cage, the food, all the stuff.”

“It’s only six dollars because nobody wants a mouse as a pet.”

“We do! Please? What about a chameleon?”

No. No. No.

The kids left the store seriously depressed. When we got home, Rowan told Liam all about the pet store. He then told us how he was planning on heading back to the pet store on his own to purchase a pet. I reminded him that he had just spent his last dollars on a Lego set, but he was unfazed.

I watched as he proceeded to pack up his red backpack with his toy binoculars, a reptile field guide, a koala notebook, and a bottle of water. He headed outside for his bike helmet and bike.

I watched from the door as he started to ride his bike up the street, wondering how far he was going to take this. Was he really going to just ride away? I didn’t really think so, but I couldn’t be sure.

Rowan got halfway up the street on his bike before he stopped and paused in front of the neighbor’s house. Then, I saw him turn around and head back down the street to our driveway. I slinked back inside the house before he could see me watching.

He returned a minute later with his backpack. “I decided I’m going to wait until nighttime to go to the pet store so it won’t be so busy to cross the road,” he said.

“OK, that seems like a smart idea,” I agreed.