What do you say when those five (well six if you have a polite child) words are uttered?

"Can I have a pet please."

What do you say? How do you explain to your child that a pet isn't a good thing to have in a 2 bedroom flat? How can you avoid those pleading eyes? And how do you avoid the feeling that you yourself would like a pet?

Yesterday I had to deal with these questions. Callum was watching something on Cbeebies about pets and he turned around and asked why we didn't have a pet. Before I could answer those words were uttered... "Can I have a pet please, Mummy?" Arrrggghhh I thought how do I deal with this? I'd love nothing more than to get my little boy a puppy and they could grow up together and enjoy the wonders of life. But sensible Mummy mode crept in, with a blindfold on to avoid those pleading eyes.

"A pet wouldn't like living in a flat, Callum. It's too high up and we have no garden." I tell him.

"But why can't I have a pet?" he replies.

"Where would it sleep?" I ask

"On the shelf." He replies.

I then wonder what pet he is talking about, but we never get that far in the conversation as toy cars are there as a distraction.

I think about how long will it be before we have to give in and buy a pet for Callum? And given our love for animals we may be easy targets at relenting and buying a pet sooner than we realised and wanted to. Maybe it's time to invest in a fishtank and so called easy pets to look after and see how our little boy handles that.

I know for sure we won't be getting any more birds. We did have two budgies at one point called Havoc and Storm. Callum and Storm were forever trying to hatch plans for the Great Bird Escape and sadly Havoc and Storm had to go live elsewhere, at Callum's Grandparents. They are still happily living there and the Great Bird Escape seems to be a forgotten memory. So there's why we won't have any more birds.

Rabbits will be out too as after the way Callum showed my Mum and I his hunting skills with the pet rabbit I don't think they are save around him. Don't worry the rabbit is still alive, it just never tries to outrun Callum again as he can catch it.

Maybe in months to come you'll be seeing a photo of Callum and his new pet, we'll see.