I begged, pleaded and did everything that you can imagine from the time that I was ten trying to convince my snake-a-phobe mother to let me have a snake, but to no avail. I finally snuck a pair of garter snakes into my bedroom (I slept in the basement). One of them got out and showed up a year later upstairs in one of my mother's shoes! I continued to beg and plead with her. Finally, after I wrote a report on why I should have a snake and got notes from several of my teachers explaining my dedication to reptiles, she let me have one! The rest is history. So, my advice to anyone in the same predicament is to show your earnestness, your dedication and your passion for the hobby. This might just win that stubborn parent over.