I was shocked when our son said that he wanted a pet monkey.
I laughed when he first told me, but he was serious.
Then I started asking him if he had any idea how impossible it would be to take care of a monkey. Our son said he wanted something small like a capuchin just like the one Ross has on the show Friends. These monkeys I knew could live to around 40 years and that was much longer than committing to a normal kind of pet like a cat or a dog. He still wanted a monkey and I thought he must have watched that movie ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ too often when he was younger. I told him that if he was serious about committing to raising a monkey, he had to prove it. I wasn’t going to get him a monkey like a capuchin without him being completely serious, because these animals are expensive! His outline to take care of the monkey included proper temperature control for the monkey’s room. He already had plans to turn part of the basement into his home. He said with a ductless mini split, the monkey would always be comfortable with the ideal temperature control settings and good air quality with an air purification system. He showed us the meals that would be fed and he said he would pay for all the diapers and food expenses. It was impressive and he was even planning to work a job starting as a truck loader which he would work up to becoming a driver and make more money. It all seemed alright to me and we bought him his capuchin monkey. That is the cutest animal we have ever seen and we love the little guy. He is now considered part of our family for life!