Adventures In Writing

My Son's New Pet!

My 11 year-old recently had a series of bad asthma attacks. For a while there, we thought we were going to have to hospitalize him. The doctor thought so also. We had to sit in the doctor's office for 4 hours one day trying to get his lungs open. If you have a child with asthma, you know how exhausting the whole process can be emotionally and physically for parents and child.

My own allergies have gotten so bad that I had to have nasal surgery last July and have since been put on weekly allergy shots for the last seven months. I've noted a definite change in my own health during that time.

Weekly shots weren't an option for Chandler. He's as bad as I am about taking shots. Or, at least, as bad as I used to be. Getting shots every week kind of gets used to the whole process. Today I even watched Lori, the allergy technician, give me a shot inside my forearm. I would have never done that before.

Still, the idea of holding my son down to give him a shot every week wasn't appealing. I could do it, I think. He's now a black belt candidate in karate, 5 feet tall, and about 135 pounds. It wouldn't be as easy as it used to be.

Then my doctor suggested sublingual allergy drops that could be put under his tongue every day. So we opted to do that. I went in for my weekly shot today, and Lori said she could do Chandler's allergy testing today as well. I called him into her office and we ambushed him. I'd already promised him a video game, so this was a pleasant little bonus I hadn't expected and the blackmail was already in place.

You have to understand my son: he loves animals. And for some weird reason, they love him back. Every animal in our house dotes on Chandler. They just can't get enough of him. He's got Aspergers and one of the traits is a general enthusiasm for animals.

At this point, he has three cats, two dogs, and a turtle. His rabbit died last fall.

According to his allergy tests, he's allergic to every animal we own except the turtle. In fact, he's allergic to cats, dogs, horses, hogs, birds, and rabbits. The only animal with hair on it that he isn't allergic to is...a cow.

And his mom isn't going to have a cow. I mean, she'd have a cow if Chandler wanted a cow. But at least a cow would be safe for him to hang out with and sleep with the way he does with his other pets. Except the turtle.

Maybe I could get him a nice snake. But if I did, his mom would still have a cow.