You know, it could have been a lot worse:
Posted on 04/14/2024 2:51:31 AM PDT by Morgana
An Oklahoma family had no idea that a birthday gift for their nine-year-old son would lead to the birth of 50 octopus babies, numerous water tanks that took over half of a bathroom, and thousands of dollars on food supplies and water damage repairs.
Cameron Clifford, a 36-year-old dentist, said his son Cal had been obsessed with octopuses since the age of three.
'Every birthday, every Christmas, every holiday, he would always say: 'All I want is an octopus,'' Clifford told the New York Times.
In October, Clifford made a call to a local aquarium store and acquired a female California two-spot octopus for Cal's ninth birthday. They named her Terrance.
Terrance turned out to be larger than expected and soon began laying eggs. Clifford documented the journey on TikTok, where his videos amassed millions of views from 400,000 followers.
'Do not get a pet octopus unless you're ready to lose sleep and your kids' college fund simultaneously,' he told USAToday, jokingly.
When Clifford told his son that they could order an octopus from a local aquarium store, the nine-year-old immediately burst into tears.
'His ultimate dream, his cloud nine, the greatest thing that could ever possibly happen in one's life had just become a possibility, and he just broke down,' Clifford said.
'My friends and family, of course, all, as you probably imagine, said to me, 'Well, now you have to get it for him. You can't just dangle that in front of him and then turn around and just flatline that dream.'' the father added.
The father and son began preparing for the arrival of the pet octopus, which they named Terrence.
Clifford ordered a saltwater tank, a water cycling system and food supplies for Terrence, mostly from Facebook marketplace. He thought it would cost around $600.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“There it is you all, the stupidest thing I will read all day and it’s only 5:52 am”
Yep. It’s stupid, like having kids in the first place.
And they had no idea what they were getting into, like having kids...
But how was he to know that she was a she and gotten knocked up?
They knew nothing about octopi, thought they were just getting an exotic fish, but they know allot more now.
They had to deal with what must have seemed chaos, but they did.
That’s why parents do this sort of thing.
What a family, what a dad! No wonder he’s a dentist. Wish he were mine.
what these fools apparently don’t realize is that octopuses are good eatin!
It’s nice having a father who loves you... that’s the upside of this story. My dad let me keep a pigeon that was wounded by a cat... limpy. Of course there was one not 50 and I was six. But it became a nice memory that influenced my life in nice ways.
We’ve got a lot of money and free time to chase our dreams(mostly unobtainable fantasies).
No economic depression until pro sports and big time gambling are not being attended, and there is such thing as a $2,000 bottle of single malt scotch at your local liquor store.
https://www.recipetineats.com/crispy-marinated-baby-octopus/#wprm-recipe-container-83609
Yes, sell them and get the kids’ college fund back.
What kind of parents put white carpet in the kids’ room? Ah, looking at their picture... yep... you can spot a liberal a mile off. Brilliant father who gets a pet that is going to die any day.
You know, it could have been a lot worse:
Agree; but calmari are squid, not octopi. European (common) squid are around 15 to 20 inches long from top of head to bottom of tentacles.
LIke squid, there are many species of octopi, with a tentacle spread of two feet to fifteen feet:
LOL -- good one!
And don’t forget Cthulhu, who also has wings and can fly.
I hope they found a mate for that wolf. Like birds, wolves mate for life.
One of the best animal books I've read was Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat, that described the habits of Canadian wolves. He said that wolves are so “extended-family oriented” in their packs that single wolves attach themselves to a mated sibling (or other mated pack member) and act as babysitters or mentors to the others' young.
I love that the family did the wolf right. Much better than the stories that I often hear.
I smell a social media family. Spoiled kid who’ll probably go trans or maybe identify as an Octopuss at some point.
Cal was as ingenious as they come.
People would leave the room when TV commercials came on.
Cal figured out a away to draw them *into* the room to watch his.
Who didn’t want to see Cal Worthington and his dog Spot?
Half a century later, who doesn’t remember his jingle?
Go see Cal
Go see Cal
Go see Cal
The Red Wings might make the playoffs this year.
My kid really wants a trunk monkey.
That would be good.
I watched an old movie from 1974, Freebie and the Bean. In one bar scene you can hear “Go see Cal, Go see Cal, Go see Cal’ in the background.
Must add that we never knew what type of “dog” he would have on that leash. Dog, pig, other animal, once he had a lion, but not on a leash but in a cage.
And “If I can’t make you a better deal, I WILL EAT A BUG!”
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