As for being friends with the parents, I'm always on friendly terms with the parents of my young friends but I can't say I've really gone out of my way to befriend any of them. Although I adore my current LGF's mother. She is such a wonderful lady and she feels like family to me. Usually I meet the girl first and get to know her, and then meet her parents later when I ask for permission to take her out somewhere. Some of the girls I took out to lunch from work, I never even met their parents at all. They just came in alone and I treated them as I would anyone my own age, as independant people who can make decisions for themselves. So far I haven't had any problems. I've been told that's unusual, but maybe it's just the area where I live.

It would depend on where greengenes lives. The scenario you describe, with young girls wandering into pet stores on their own, isn't likely to happen in America. Kids are watced like hawks here and have very little autonomy at all. Anyway, I'm not sure I'd recommend befriending a child without the parents' consent. That just seems to be inviting trouble, if you ask me.