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My son Alex is about to become a teenager. I am finding his upcoming birthday very bittersweet. My child is no longer a little boy and the days of holding his hand while taking a family walk are long gone. His father and I have not been asked to play tag in the basement in several years. My days of reading him a bed-time story have also ceased to exist. The bug catchers in our garage have long been replaced with basketballs, footballs, lacrosse sticks and the like. Alex no longer follows me around the house looking for a playmate. He has his own social circle.

Fortunately, my son is turning 13 years old and not 30 years old, so I can hold off on the crying-my-eyes-out for the time being. My own father informed me that when Alex goes to college I am going to be a wreck. That's certainly something to look forward to.

With Alex's birthday fast approaching, I asked him what he would like. Being an animal-lover, Alex told me he wanted some mice. More pets? Are you kidding me? Not wanting anymore house pets is an understatement, but to be fair, I did ask Alex what he wanted and he told me. Although Alex's dad did express his opinion quite vehemently, I decided to take Alex to the pet store so we could become informed before rushing into a hasty purchase. We spoke with the rodent expert who educated Alex so well that when she concluded her discussion, Alex no longer wanted mice. The entire pet store experience took about 40-minutes and it was the beginning and the end of mice as pets. He shared his decision with me before we even left the store. Not wanting to jump out of my skin with glee, I nonchalantly told Alex that should he change his mind, I would be happy to reconsider his request. In the course of Alex's childhood, he has wanted an array of animals that include ferrets, cats, dogs, birds, additional lizards, snakes and tarantulas. I can add mice to that list and I can also cross mice right off.

As irony would have it, shortly after Alex lost interest in owning mice, a cat showed up on our street and my son showed it some attention. Alex sat down and the cat jumped in his lap. Alex walked around and the cat followed him. Alex ran down the street and the cat ran with him. The cat was extremely affectionate and took quite a liking to all of the rubbing that he was receiving. Suffice it to say, it did not leave. The next morning the cat was waiting for us outside, so we gave it some tuna. Yes, I know. We fed it and it became very attached. It stayed with us for a few more days, but ultimately we called the Howard County Animal Shelter and they came to my rescue, er, I mean to the cat's rescue. It was a very nice cat who wanted, more than anything, to come inside our home. It hissed fiercely at our dog and from what we witnessed, we don't think the cat would have played nice with the dog. Although Alex asked -- repeatedly -- that we bring the cat inside, the cat stayed outside. If the cat belonged to someone, taking it in was not helping the cat find its way back to its family.

Alex informed me that when he is an adult, he is going to have many pets. And I hope he does. Even though my little boy is becoming a teenager, there are still many things that are so genuinely Alex. I still see glimpses of my baby as he turns slowly away from childhood and moves closer to becoming an adult. I'm not ready to let go and I see no reason why I have to. I am going to cherish the little boy as he turns away from childhood and we embark on a new adventure together.

Share your own snappy repartee with Michelle Potocko at: theconsciousmother@gmail.com.

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