We got Nemo-Dorothy on Duck's 4th birthday. Next week Duck will be 6. It was their first pet (they don't rememeber the dogs we had when they were babies.) 2 years for a goldfish is pretty good, I guess. Stealth found him dead last night and he was just in total disbelief. This is also their first experience of death so it was a biggie. It took lots of explaining that Nemo wouldn't be swimming anymore and that whole discussion. Strealth cried for an hour. We took him to a lake near by our house (it's in walking distance but we drove) and said a few words and B put him in the lake because, as Duck says, "Fish don't live in the ground, Mom."
I cannot believe how emotional both B and I got over this fish! It was just so intense seeing our children process the concept of death and the loss of their pet. Stealth said, "I'm sad and crying because Nemo is dead and I loved him forever and I wanted to keep loving him forever." Duck would shrug his shoulders and say, "Fish don't live forever - sometimes they just die" like a big tough boy and then his face would squish up and he'd start crying and he'd sob, "I'm so sad that Nemo is dead!"
They both want to go first thing this morning and get a new pet fish. Or two. Or maybe four.
I dunno. I think I'm in mourning.
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