SOCRATIS, his two children Ariana, nine and Maximus, five, and his wife Jane live with almost 200 snakes. Socratis grew up scared of snakes but developed a love of them when he was older. He said: “What first started as a fear of mine actually became a passion." To date, Socratis has spent $300,000 on snakes and $100,000 on the room in which he keeps them. Ariana keeps 18 snakes in her room and was just one-year-old when she held her first snake. What’s her favourite thing about snakes? “Everything”, she said, “they’re so pretty.” There have been a few incidents where Ariana has been bitten but Socratis asserted these were baby snakes and this can happen. He said: “I really don't ensure that it's safe because these are wild animals and yes, they can bite. But I don’t have a snake in here that has the capability of eating my children.” Socratis describes his family as ‘extraordinary’ and said: “Our parenting style is unconventional. We definitely do a lot of things that are not ‘by the book’.” As well as their interest in snakes, the family are very active and practice affirmations daily. Socratis said: “What I hope the future holds for my family is just positivity and us educating not just about snakes, but about living an extraordinary life and living to your fullest potential.