Karthik has an yearning about bringing up pet animals.  He used to keep on nagging me that we should keep either a dog, or a cat or at least a parrot in our house.  I used to keep on telling him back whenever he asks this question that  "It's very tough for me to take care of both of you.  I cannot offer to take care of one more."  He would promptly reply, "Let's have a maid separately for the pet or else I can myself take care of it."  Two days back, he suddenly asked, when he came back from school, "Amma, from where do we get the milk  we drink?".  I really took pity on him, as well as cursed myself for leading a monotonous city life which had made the children not know even the few basic things like these.  Yesterday, being a Sunday, I took him to a milkman's house whom I have been knowing for the past few years and asked him to show to my children a few cows, its young ones and also the scene of milking the cow.  Way back to home, Karthik said, "Amma, I know you are afraid of dogs and cats.  But, cow is harmless.  Why don't you agree to have cow as our pet animal?  Then, I will not nag you to come and play with me.  I will play with the calf."  I replied, "Karthik, we are living in a residential complex.  The association will not permit us to keep cows etc. within our premises.".  He immediately replied, "We can keep our car outside the house, near the compound wall.  If we keep our cow within our car parking area, then nobody can question us".  I am tongue-tied to give him a suitable answer.