We all have a special place in our heart for our firsts — like our first friend, our first trip, our first birthday party or our first award. And just like these, our first pet is always our favourite and more special than the rest.

My summer vacation had just started. One day, when my father came home from work, I ran towards him and asked if I could get a pet. At first, he was a little hesitant and said that I was too young to be able to take care of any animal, but after convincing him for a while, he agreed to get me a pet.

We decided to go and get a pet that weekend and until then, I waited with anticipation. I was thrilled, excited, happy and a little anxious. I counted the days and couldn’t think of anything other than getting my first pet. I spent my days just looking at the videos of people with their pets.

Finally, the day came. It was a bright Sunday afternoon of June. The sun was scorching hot, the trees were bright and lively. I got dressed, packed some snacks, some juices and a bottle of water and got ready for the best weekend of my life. We got into the car and started our journey towards the pet market.

On our way to the market, we stopped at a restaurant to have lunch, where I wasn’t able to eat much due to the excitement. After a while we arrived at the market and it was a phenomenal experience. I got to see the most beautiful creatures. There was a blue parrot, the macaw. I never knew it was that big in real life, earlier I had only seen them in the videos. I also saw kittens and dogs. They were just so adorable.

There were also fish and reptiles. It is kind of creepy and cool at the same time that people keep snakes and lizards as pets. I would never be able to handle these reptiles.

After walking around the market for a while, I was really confused as what to buy for myself. They were all cute, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted them to be my pet and take them home. I was feeling a little down as I thought I would not get a pet until I saw those cute little baby hens, yes I am talking about chicks. They were so adorable and resembled a pompom ball! I felt really delighted looking at them and the moment I held one in my hand, I knew these were the ones that I would love to pet and have.

I know this may sound weird to you because when we think of our first pet, we might think of a goldfish, or parakeets, or a little kitten, but my first pets were chicks.

I brought four of them along with a coop to keep them. After bringing them home and giving them food, my dad asked me to open the chicken coop and let them run around the house and explore. As soon as I let them out, they were all over the place! They were running, jumping and playing! It was very beautiful to watch, but when the time came to catch the chicks to keep them back in the coop, it was a workout altogether.

Initially I was so worried that I would never be able to catch them because they were so fast and good at hiding in small corners. Finally it took me an hour to catch them all. After putting them back in and filling their food and water bowls, I went to my bedroom.

As I lay down on my bed, I was so full of emotions — I was happy, exhausted, confused and fearful, all at the same time. I was questioning myself, wondering if I would be able to take care of these little adorable babies, they were too much to handle. Did I make the right choice, I wondered just before falling asleep.

The next morning I woke up early and opened the cage and let them out again. I fed them with my hand and they were jumping all around. As they sat on my lap, I fell in love with them again and decided to keep them even if it was little hard to take care of them, even if they made a mess and even if it took me an hour to catch them.

With every passing day, taking care of my pets got better and better, and by the end of my holidays I got really attached to my cute little chicks. In a few months, they became fully grown chickens and had to be kept outside the house. But I still enjoy taking care of them.

It is always hard to believe in yourself when you are doing something new. You feel stressed, confused, anxious and question yourself whether you are doing it right and the only way of knowing the answer is by doing it. Trust me, it always gets better.

I still get all these confusing feelings when I adopt a new pet. Although I have had a couple of other pets after the chicks, I am always nervous as if it is the first time. But, in the end, it is always worth the effort.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 16th, 2022