Pets....

We have a tendency to keep pets around WAY longer then they're supposed to live. I had a leopard gecko that lived to be 14 years old, We've had bettas live for 5-6 years, our dog Otis is 19....

But inevitably, the time comes when those little pets like fish and lizards and rodents and stuff eventually expire. (Not Otis though.... We have a deal. He has to live forever....) It's never an easy thing when I have to break the news.

I don't get why it is that I am always the one to "discover the body" so to speak, but there you have it. Then again, I'd rather it be me anyway. My dad would probably scar my childrens' psyches forever and my mom would get them all worked up and in a tizzy and feeling worse about the whole thing. But it's never easy to have to tell a child that their pet had expired.

We are down to a betta and Otis now and I'm kind of willing them both to live forever. At this point, I don't know where I would find the strength to have to explain yet again that we have another goodbye to say. It doesn't exactly get easier and although the older boys have a better understanding as to the permanence of death, my little ones still don't quite seem to grasp the concept yet. This can lead to a bit more heartbreak later on when I have to explain that <PET'S NAME> isn't coming back because there isn't a "coming back" after it dies.... It's quite a wretched experience. I mean, I know that I will get the job done if the time should come again, but it's just not easy.

For the time being, I make sure to remind the kids to make sure that they let the remaining animal family members that they are loved and that they spend ample time with them so that there isn't the heartbreak of, "I wish I would have spent more time...." which is probably the worst kind of regret of them all..... :sigh: Yup.... Nemo and Otis are going to have to live forever. That's it.