just one question

[PhilinYuma]

Well, you've got all our support, Paul, but then we are all addicts!

But moms are supposed to criticize their kids' hobbies. Sunny is a very good cook and provides every real meal that her mom eats, but mom still complains about the tidiness of the kitchen. Yesterday, after we had made coq au vin with a huge chicken and a bottle of (cheap!) wine the day before, we scrubbed the stove top that was liberally covered with fat from browning the chicken, and mom strolled in and said "I cleaned the kitchen", so I thanked her for helping in the production of the meal.

 

[sporeworld]

Yup! I'm... errr... over 40, and my parents come and vsit me for a few weeks every year (no bugs at home - all at the office). They don't really understand the hobby, but their critisms are really just questions (not retorical). Questions like, "Why do you keep these" or "Why not a dog", are good conversation starters. I love to travel, and most pets are too big a commitment. Short life spans are PERFECT for my lifestyle. They make a great desk hobby.

Also, I like to respond "Yer just jealous", and see where that takes us. And I just love, love, LOVE showing off my bugs! Getting the kids to scream and squeal, and then relax, and bring over other people and repeat the process. We totally played catch with a griffin mantis once - and we still laugh about it. Of course, I wish they were a little more... "permitted". I'd love to do a small wal-through mantid version of a butterfly pavillion. But it'd be pretty darn limited with just local species. :-(

One thng that this hobby brings that you don't get with other traditional pets, is constant change. Someone hatched, shed, mated or laid and ooth... almost every day. It's a thrill checking the enclosures each day.

As for money spent, I'm with you on that one. It's an expensive hobby if you don't breed your own feeders, and you like having large numbers of specimens. I always enjoy my little post-Christmas hiatus, and don't miss all the cleaning, but my paypal acount is happy for the break. You could always just restrict yourself to smaller species (fruit flies only) and have a $10-$20 a month hobby.