Mom Surprises 6-Year-Old with Dream Pet, an Axolotl, for Christmas (Exclusive)

An axolotl-loving 6-year-old got the Christmas of her dreams, all thanks to her mom.

Lauren, on TikTok @the_stayathomemomma, tells PEOPLE that she put a lot of thought into getting her daughter, Paige, an axolotl for Christmas.

“It has been at least a year of all things axolotl. Her entire room is axolotls down to her bedding. It’s pretty much every other word out of her mouth and a constant thing she draws. Everyone who knows her, knows she loves them,” the mom shares. 

When she heard about a pet shop with axolotls nearby, Lauren decided to give more consideration to letting her 6-year-old have one to call her own.

“She has been asking for a real one for a long time. I’ve been researching them here and there but always said no because of the work they require. I also thought we would have to special order them from a website or something and just didn’t feel right about it,” Lauren explains.

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“Fast forward to about three weeks ago, a friend of ours saw them in the store. I went and looked at them and talked to the lady in depth about their care requirements and decided to move forward.”

The excited mom made a TikTok about going to get her daughter the much-coveted pet, only to be met with a somewhat surprising amount of criticism. A slew of commenters presented reasons why it was not an appropriate present.

“Seeing people be so critical of my plan was kind of twofold. I can understand some people’s concern for making sure I was well researched but I also feel like people are so quick to have an opinion about what other people do with their lives and their children,” Lauren says.

“At the end of the day, my choices and my children are my responsibility and it’s up to me, not the Internet, to decide what we will or won’t have in our home.”

Once she brought the animal home, the mom had the additional challenge of keeping the axolotl safe and hidden until the big holiday reveal.

“The tank was hiding in our basement for two weeks. Hiding it was a lot less difficult than I thought it would be,” she shares. “The most challenging part was doing water changes and feeding it without her asking what I was doing.”

All the while, she continued to respond to TikTok commenter criticism and, for those who were being supportive, shared updates on the pet, who has thrived in her care.

On Christmas Day, Lauren treated followers to Paige’s emotional reaction to her very special gift. In the video, the 6-year-old started spinning and screaming with joy after opening axolotl food as one of her gifts. She opened another to find a book about axolotl care.

A letter from Santa confirmed there was a special surprise awaiting Paige downstairs. She was looking around so fervently for her surprise that she almost missed the tank with a bow just feet from her. When she realized what was happening, the look on the child’s face was priceless.

“She has been in absolute heaven!! She just sits down there and talks to him all day long,” Lauren says.

“We had family over yesterday and she was so happy to show him off and tell everyone the facts she’s been learning about axolotls. She named him Sushi but said, ‘Promise me we won’t eat him.’ She’s a child forever full of spunk and fun reactions.”