Dear Emily,
Yes, I liked your letter very much. Tiny Tim will enjoy hearing it when I read it to him. He's a very intelligent
little critter, and will probably talk while I read.
My granddaughter is 10 years old, and I know she is very disappointed when she wants something that she can't have. I
do have a few suggestions, though.
First of all, you could do some research on guinea pigs and their care. Find out how to take care of them, what
things they require (like housing, food, bedding, proper veterinarian care), what costs are involved. Also find out what people
who have guinea pigs have to say about them. This is my first guinea pig, and I'm finding that Tiny Tim is a wonderful
pet. He's gentle, smart, quite easy to care for - even though he's paralyzed. Guinea pigs are quite clean,
and have nice personalities. But - there is a responsibility involved in the care of an animal, and also the cost of all
that they need.
Second, after you know a lot about guinea pigs, find a time to talk to your parents when they aren't rushed or worried
or busy. Ask if you can just talk to them. As you're talking, let them know how much you've researched and what
you've found out. Then ask if you could make an agreement with them. You could tell them that you would like to
prove that you could be responsible enough to care for a guinea pig. Then ask how you could prove that responsibility. Maybe
they would have some chores or other responsibilities that they would ask you to take care of for awhile so you could prove
that you can be relied on. The idea is, you want to be able to prove yourself. Come to an agreement with them,
and then make sure you stick to your end of the agreement! Set a time limit on how long they think it should be
before you've proven that you can be trusted to do what you say. At the end of that time, perhaps you'll all be able
to agree on what to do, and if you're ready to get a guinea pig.
It's important to understand that parents want what's best for their children and make decisions on what they think IS
best. So talk it over with them and see what kind of agreement you can come up with.
One more thing - a guinea pig is a living creature. It will need care ALL OF THE TIME. Some people
get pets, and when they get tired of them, they don't care about them anymore. That is a terrible thing for the animal.
So, another thing to make sure of is that you would be able to take care of the guinea pig for as long as you would have him
- ALL OF THE TIME.
Hope this helps you.
From Tiny Tim's friend, Miss Jo
