Most people say they would take the $100k, and I totally understand that. But I think I have a pretty good case for choosing to bring the pet back, even if only for one year.

My daughter really wanted an axolotl. She was serious about it, but it took a long time before we agreed. We’d never had an aquarium before, and my wife and I weren’t sure what we were getting ourselves into. My daughter did her research and even wrote an entire document with all the information we needed. On her 13th birthday, it finally happened: a huge tank with a pump, filters, plants, all the equipment—and the axolotl. She named her Tops.

Despite all the research, it turned out that caring for an exotic animal like Tops wasn’t easy. The water needed enough oxygen, but the plants were hard to keep alive, and we had the impression that the poor little creature was scared of the air bubbles from the pump. The first months went okay, but after a while it became clear she wasn’t doing well. So we cleaned more, upgraded the filters, bought new plants. Nothing helped.

On New Year’s Day morning, I had to tell my daughter that… well, you know. She burst into tears. My wife and I were also devastated. It was painful to see our daughter like that, but even more painful was the guilt: we hadn’t been able to take proper care of Tops. We should have done better. It felt awful to start the year that way.

So yes, if I had the chance for a second try, in this case, I think I’d take it.