Before the school ended for my kids, the school's Science teacher sent out a note home with the 4th graders. The note mentioned a good amount of gold fish that needed homes since the Science room will be closed for the summer. My kids were begging me to sign the slip so we can keep one. We didn't have to pay for the fish but we needed a commitment to keep it alive.
But after consulting Mitch, we decided to give in. The kids have been wanting a pet for so long but both of us knew that we would have to bear more of the taking care of this animal than the kiddos so we've always said no. We didn't have the time nor the energy to devote to that kind of commitment. But then this fish idea came along and I thought that it was a less stressful way to introduce "pet responsibility" to the children.
When I was a teenager my dad took on the hobby of fishes so at one point we had about three fish tanks in our home. We, the kids, had to clean these tanks and I was always upset with that job because we ended up killing some of these poor creatures as we transferred them from one container to another. Needless to say, I don't have good memories with taking care of fishes but for my kids, I'm changing my views on it.
And with that, last Wednesday, after I got done with my volunteer work at the kids' school, I took home what would later be known as Mr. Fishy.
Meet the latest addition to the Tolman family...
We had a big vase/bowl that we decided to use as his home. I told everyone that we will not get into debt with this new "toy" so right now all he has is this bowl with the views of the backyard.
Mr. Fishy seems like the shy type cause every time we come close to his abode, he quickly swims to the bottom of the tank.
I've noticed that since we don't have an oxygen tank in the bowl, his water gets dirty pretty fast so we've been changing the water every other day. The kids have been great at reminding me to clean the tank and to feed the fish. Like I said, I personally don't have the time nor energy to devote to Mr. Fishy and I'm glad that the kids are taking the initiative to remind me of him.
So there you have it, the kids' first pet. I made a mistake of telling the kids that if Mr. Fishy survives two weeks that we'll get him a friend. So far, he's looking good and the kids are holding me to my word. Oh boy, what did I get myself into?
What was your best pet memories?
Till next time,
Grace
1 comment:
Here's a little wishy
For Mr. Fishy:
May you always make it your goal
To swim upright in your bowl,
Not go belly-up, or in a hole,
Or you'll be flushed
down the john with a swishy.
Goldfish are actually kind of fun. Ours never lasted very long, but we did our best and were always amazed that even such small creatures could have their own personalities!! Have fun and hope he lives a long and fulfulling life...for a fish! :)
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