Three-year-olds are an adorable handful. They are toddlers, so they have seemingly unlimited energy, and high emotional reactions to almost everything going on.
Keeping up with a toddler is no joke.
Keeping up with a toddler's schemes might be even more challenging, as a couple considering children were given a blunt education in when they heard a story about their little 3-year-old cousin that's one for the ages.
Peyton, the three-year-old in question, smuggled her pet fish to school in her sippy cup one afternoon and was only found out because the teacher noticed the fish swimming around the cup when the little girl took a drink.
Connor Hughes shared the saga on Twitter complete with visual aids.
Having recently gotten married, @BrieHughes3 & I have started the discussion on having children. \n\nI received this text message from my cousin today and I'm not sure we're ready.pic.twitter.com/K4sZlEidD9— Connor Hughes (@Connor Hughes) 1638468908
@Connor_J_Hughes/Twitter
@Connor_J_Hughes/Twitter
The little girl reportedly brought the Beta fish with her in the morning but forgot about it as the day went on—which is why she took a drink of the fishy water.
"I was absolutely not prepared to pick up the phone and hear, 'Mrs. Scanlan, did you happen to know that Peyton brought her Beta fish to school today in her sippy cup?!'" said Lauren , the girl's mother.
"I just replied with, 'Um, no Ms. Cheryl, I did NOT know that she smuggled her fish this morning in her sippy cup'."
Please stop!!!!!! Im dying!! So grossed out too— Nicole Lynn (@Nicole Lynn) 1638470985
Not quite the same - but when my friend\u2019s 5 yr old son wanted to bring his tiny cars and trucks to school - mom said no - take them back to your room - he came back downstairs with them all stuffed in his socks.— BonnieSolloway (@BonnieSolloway) 1639446099
\u201cThe Escapes of Payton and Her Pet Perch\u201d— Fletch Andrews (@Fletch Andrews) 1638506180
My first year teaching, I had a first grader bring her pet bunny to school in a shoe box. No one was home to come and pick it up, so it spent the day hopping around under a milk crate. There was not much learning taking place that day.— Megan Hillegass (@Megan Hillegass) 1638712681
The school representative who called home said Peyton's fish antics were the first of their kind at the school.
@Connor_J_Hughes/Twitter
@Connor_J_Hughes/Twitter
When asked why the little girl brought the fish to school, her mom could only say Peyton "loves her so much."
"I couldn't even be mad at her. I opened the sippy cup lid and saw that she even put fish food in the cup!"
"She was a good and responsible pet owner—pretty impressive for a 3-year-old to fill her cup with water, scoop her fish out of the tank, put it in the sippy cup, add food, close the lid, and put it in her backpack..."
"All within a max of two minutes while I ran upstairs to get her clothes. She is truly wise beyond her years!"
LMAOOOhttps://twitter.com/Connor_J_Hughes/status/1466471005896028166\u00a0\u2026— Nunya (@Nunya) 1639599566
This made my day welahhttps://twitter.com/Connor_J_Hughes/status/1466471005896028166\u00a0\u2026— Cam' (@Cam') 1639552647
This is hilarious!https://twitter.com/Connor_J_Hughes/status/1466471005896028166\u00a0\u2026— Christopher (@Christopher) 1639488003
Not she forgot it was in there https://twitter.com/connor_j_hughes/status/1466471005896028166\u00a0\u2026— John Doe \ud83c\udf1f (@John Doe \ud83c\udf1f) 1639457337
Now, Peyton's mom says she is doing daily checks to make sure all house pets are accounted for before anybody leaves for school.
Meanwhile, Mermaid, Peyton's Beta fish, is secured in her tank with duct tape.