Monday, June 21, 2010

A lesson in the circle of life

Last winter Jonesy decided that she wanted a fish and started saving up her money to buy one. In January she finally had enough and purchased a female beta that she named Cutie.

Saturday night I noticed that Cutie didn't look so hot. She was still alive, but didn't look like she would be for long. Leslie and I wondered how Jones would handle it the next day. Should one of us make a midnight run to WalMart for Cutie 2.0? We decided to just go to bed.

When we got home after lunch yesterday, I took Jones aside and told her that I needed to talk to her about something. I told her that Cutie was sick. I had barely gotten that out and Jones was running to check on her. She saw that her fish was dead and the tears started. I picked her up and tried to console her the best I could. I told her that it was okay to cry, that I had cried when Willie died.

Her first words almost made me laugh, but I held it in. "Now I'll have to save up my money again to get a new one!"

When she had calmed down I told her that we could bury her in the garden like we did with Willie. "Or, " I suggested, "sometimes when pet fish die, people flush them in the toilet."

She looked up at me and started grinning. Then she said, "Or maybe we could use her for bait when we go fishing."

I didn't hold my laughter that time, but told her that it wouldn't be right to use her deceased pet for bait.

We buried her in the garden between the zuchinni and green beans.

6 comments:

Shirley Brown said...

I love my Jones!

Larissa said...

That's hilarious!! Kid's perspectives are so funny!

LisaN said...

I love this and am so glad you are chronicling all these precious conversations for later memories. You two are awesome parents! I think it's awesome that your little girl thinks of using her fish for bait instead of mourning over it for days. She is a tough cookie. :-)

Anonymous said...

She's got such a great perspective on life! ;0)

Sheila said...

Her name is McCrae, but that sounds like Clara to me.

Valisa said...

Justin, only your daughter would even think of the idea to use her fish for bait!

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