Chip-Chip is not fulfilling his duty

There was a reason That Kid got Chip-Chip. You see, That Kid doesn't sleep in his own bed. He doesn't even sleep in his own room. If he would sleep on the floor in our room that would be fine...but he doesn't. He sleeps in our bed. Horizontally. Across our heads. That Dad and I dodge feet and flailing hands all night long.

But, even with Chip-Chip in his room, That Kid refuses to sleep in there. I think he's even more reluctant to sleep in his room since "The Great Hamster Bite of '10". That Kid was playing with Chip-Chip while I was on the phone. I told him repeatedly to put Chip-Chip away and That Kid kept telling me he was giving Chip-Chip "big hugs". I got off the phone and heard That Kid giggling, so I went to check on him and discovered he was playing with his Little Einsteins Pat Pat Rocket. I said, "Where is Chip-Chip?" and he told me that Chip-Chip was in rocket. Sure enough, there was poor little Chip-Chip sitting in Annie's seat, scared half to death. I think the flying scared him. And now Rocket smells like a hamster.

But it didn't stop there! After I rescued Chip-Chip (this is beginning to sound like The Little Einsteins meet The Wonder Pets!) and put him back in his cage, I gave That Kid instructions to not play with Chip-Chip unless Mama or Daddy were there with him. "OK, Mama!", he said. And I went to finish making dinner.

That Dad came upstairs and wasn't impressed by seeing Chip-Chip in Rocket, and so when we heard MORE giggles coming from That Kid's room, That Dad went to investigate. He found That Kid, playing with Chip-Chip. Well, actually I guess you could say he found Chip-Chip snacking on That Kid. That Kid had Chip-Chip dangling from his index finger. He was laughing, until That Dad yelled and took his hamster away. Then he cried. And cried, and cried. For about 15 minutes. We got Peroxide and cleaned the bite mark, and then put two Band Aids on, and gave That Kid about a million "big hugs". And That Kid wouldn't go back into his room last night.

But, this morning, he woke up and said, "Where Chip-Chip?!? He in trouble!" So we went to check, and Chip-Chip was fine...and That Kid was a little scared and worried. Lesson learned? I think so. But will That Kid sleep with Chip-Chip? Probably not. Dang it!