Me and OH need some help. So basically, I know that buying pets for kids for christmas is usually bad news, in this case we (and when I say we I mostly mean OH) have made a rod for our own back and my DSS (8) is asking, on a continuous repeat, for a hamster for christmas.
The back story is, during the summer we had agreed to get DSS a fish tank, my OH is a fish fanatic and said he always found fish fascinating, DSS had decided he loves fish too. We told DSS that if that's what he really wanted, he could have one for christmas or he could use his money box stash to buy it himself. He chose to have it for christmas. DSS rabbited on about this fish tank for weeks and how he was going to play with his fish, obviously we told him that you can't play with fish, but OH started to get cold feet thinking that DSS 8 and DSS 5 would have their hands in there all the time when we weren't looking. So one day in late summer, OH and I were discussing the pet idea and he suggested maybe something more interactive, such as a hamster. DSS has had a couple of hamsters over time at his DM's but they never seem to last long!
Problem came when we realised DSS had overheard this conversation - he burst into our bedroom raving about how much he loved hamsters and how he would much rather have one of those. OH then gets carried away and says 'Ok, well how about we go with a hamster instead of fish?'
I strongly dislike hamsters and OH hates anything small and furry that lives in a cage, I do not want a hamster, I will end up looking after the hamster and they're loud, smelly and nocturnal. My OH will get fed up with hearing it have a hamster party in the next room within 15 minutes of us going to bed on the first night. Also it will probably keep DSS awake. And I can't have it downstairs because we have dogs and I don't think that's fair - plus I don't want it downstairs.
We hoped he'd get distracted nearer to christmas with all the toys and lego he could have instead, but he still steadfastly wants the hamster. I totally hold my hands up to the fact that this is our fault, we should have managed this better, but what do we do now? He'll be crushed if we say no or just don't get him one.
His birthday is in feb, my DM suggested not getting it for christmas, see if he's heartbroken and then maybe bite the bullet and get it for his birthday if he's still going on about it?
I would feel like the worst SM in the whole world if he was distraught on xmas day because we've let him think for so long that a hamster is a possibility. Should we just accept that we did this to ourselves and get him one?