FRUSTERATED!!

As w/ Marla I ain't ready for the front porch and a rocker but I am let's say, 40-something and have a 14yo son.
Ozzy my bp has got to be one of the sweetest animals I have ever come in contact with. He has never once shown an interest to strike.
They are a good first snake, in terms of being docile. Most only get about 3-4' and once you get the temps and humidity correct they are fairly easy to take care of.
Most of the time you will find them sleeping away in their hides and won't even know they are there. They are fairly inexpensive to feed, about 1.00-2.00 per week or so for a rodent.
A cat or dog is much more effort and can cause way more harm in playing or nipping and more incline to do so. :)
I wasn't a lifelong snake keeper when I got my bp, I had Garter snakes etc when I was like 10-14yo but I have always thought them to be interesting creatures and when my son expressed intersted in a snake I checked it out and found bp's to be friendly easy going snakes and home came Ozzy.
I never thought I would become this attached to him but he is my little guy and impressed me so much we recently adopted a rescue bp and now have two.
I understand some people aren't snake people, I have many friends like that but even the non-snakers always look in or ask about our guys :)
It would be a great learning experience and a wonderful hobby
And 99% of the time you wouldn't even see him as you cruise by the cage as they sleep most of the day.
I would hope you may reconsider as it seems your son has a great interest in them and it's always good for them to have an interest and something to occupy the mind :)

Ball Pythons seem as if they aren't even there! :P
They basically sleep the entire day, and come out to explore when you're sleeping.
The make barely any noise. The can be feed frozen/thawed mice so you don't have to worry about feeding live mice/rats.

Also, Marla ... I'm allergic to those cute kitty cats :(

Blink, me too, but some worse than others. I've had some cats that I'd get welts from any touch by them and others (like Jezebel) that barely give me the sniffles from holding and petting. I'm hoping the new kitten will turn out not to cause too bad a reaction. I just can't seem to go catless, though. ;)

and by the way marla, your new avatar is precious. :aww:

Show your mom this website and get her to sign up if she wants and we will talk to her about it.

P.S. But she is still your mom and what she says goes.

My mom was dead set against me rescuing Alexa at first. Now I can't keep her off Alexa :P Not too mention she let me get Beefy, and is in love with him as well!

AHHHHH!!!!!! She read the letter. Shes like, "I understand how that situation worked in his family, but its diffrent in mine." I dont know why she doesnt want one. ITS NOT EVEN GOING TO BE HERS! Im going out today and buying the equipment for the BP. Getting job applications, to show her that i am a responsible person. I think its the whole fact of her being afraid of them. Hopefully she'll come around.

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and by the way marla, your new avatar is precious.

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lol yes, BIG improvement from your freaky monkey avatar! hehehe, monkeys freak me out...

ok, let me tell you my story. I have one ball pyhton, named Kitty. When I was little I was never allowed to have pets except a fish and a hamster. I have always wanted a dog, a rabbit, or a snake and I was not allowed to have any of them. I never pushed the issue with my mother and father though. When I turned 20 I was introduced to my friends ball python, and was still interested, but I lived in a dorm and wasn't sure if I had the money or space for a snake. Then another one of my friends got one and it lived in her dorm room. I watched her begin to raise this baby and it only took me a couple of weeks to decide that I should get one. I had seen first hand how easy they were to take care of, how big they grow when full sized, and, when kept properly, how much less smelly they are than any dog, cat, rodent, or fish. They also do not take up very much room, and thier food is cheap. They are not aggressive, hamsters bite more and cats scratch much more. They are cleaner as well. All of these were posatives for me getting the snake.
I have many friends who are less than trusting of snakes as well as my parents. I didn't take him for a visit to my parent's until months later. My mother is not crazy about snakes, but I brought extensive literature with me and answered all of thier questions which set them at ease a bit because they knew that I was really serious about keeping him and I knew what I was talking about. They are among the most personable of snakes and really are not difficult to care for once you get started. There is also plenty of information out there. I would suggest that you find out all you can, so as to be able to fully answer your mother's questions and argue your point effectively. Also, see that you have some reading material on hand for her. Let her know that this is going to be your pet, that she will only have to be as involved as she wants to be. This is not one of those pets that she will have to take out for a walk or other responsiblities if you are busy. Come up with a contract agreement pertaining to your responsibilities and the consquences of shirking them. This will be a great learning experience for you. Knowlege is power and also tends to set the mind at ease. Good luck

welcome padiente!