When we got 3 parakeets, six weeks ago, we didn't get Isaac one. We told him that he could get one when he showed that he could be soft and gentle. He never hurt them, but the urge to scare them was strong. "Mom, I try to not scare them, but I just can't stop myself," he told me in defeat. In order to keep himself in check, he set up a plan to tell me every time he went in to see them, so he wouldn't scare them. He was really trying, but once in a while he would sneak in and do his pirate "AAaarg!" and rattle their cage.
Over the past couple of weeks, he has really cut back on the scare tactics. I thought it was time for Ike to take ownership. When something belongs to you--you take better care of it. We went down and picked out his bird. He has changed names from: Frightful, Polar Bear, Lovey-Dovey, Snowball, Blanco, and finally it is Knuckles. Thankfully, the bird has survived 24 hours of Isaac lovin'.
If someone would of told me, 6 months ago, that we would own 4 birds, I never would of believed them. Tom and I actually are glad we got them. They have been messy, but easy to take care of. I love that they allow the kids to carry them around on their shoulders, fingers, heads, etc....Finally we don't hear pleas for a puppy anymore.
