My children are on vacation with their mother this week. They left for Long Beach Island today. It's already turning out to be a great vacation, at least for Lizzy. I received a call from her telling me that she was getting a new pet. It was a hermit crab, she named it, what else, Skull. She described in great detail the 'skull with a crack in it' design on it's shell.
To understand and appreciate the name, you have to understand my daughters. As much as Emily is going to be the pink dress high heeled shoes and designer bag, Lizzy is going to be the torn jeans, rocker T-shirt and old sneakers. After telling me excitedly that she got the pet, she asked me, “Daddy, if I put a little ball in there will he play with it?”, I explained to her the fact that hermit crabs do not play with toys.
She told me how she would do all the maintenance on it. I didn't have the heart to tell her the fragility of the creature. With a, "Love you daddy.", we hung up.
A few hours later my phone rings again, it was Lizzy. She is not allowed to keep Skull in the house, and is worried that he won't make it through the night. I explain to her that hermit crabs need temperatures between 70 and 85, so through the night, it should be fine, but in the morning she will need to put him in the outdoor shower where it will be cooler and more humid. She starts asking the dreaded question. "How long is Skull going to last daddy?", I can't give that answer, so I give her the best response I can muster, "Enjoy the time you have with him Lizzy, I can't guarantee he'll live, but if you don't take care of him I can guarantee he will die.". She asks a couple more times If the weather will be OK for him to be left out overnight. I assure her it will and this conversation ends with the usual, "Love you daddy."
That hermit crab is a big step for Lizzy. For the first time in her life, she will need to be responsible for another creature's well being. We have had fish, but they haven't been her sole responsibility, so it hasn't been the same.
What is Skull's fate? The same as the rest of ours. No guarantees. If we are taken care of we may live, but if we are not, we will surely die.
Good Luck Skull, I wish you many shells.
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