well, in actuality the fish is (was) named Stormy…but he was bought out of pity. A couple of days after Jackson broke his arm he was home and cooped up and miserable about missing so much at school. We had our fish bowl out in the garage waiting for a good day to give in and get the boys one and I gave Seth that “we need a darn goldfish look” or a puppy, but the second option wasn’t an option so goldfish it was.

Ages ago I wrote a post about the song Hush little baby, a vent of sorts. As parents it is so tough to not want your kids to be happy. I want my kids to be heard and comforted and affirmed, but I also want life to feel better. Sometimes that is in the form of extra time together, a spur of the moment treat and others it’s in the form of a 29 cent fish.  It is completely appropriate to want to give our kids things but often it isn’t whats needed. I could fill his room with balloons, play the cheeriest of music, tie a pony outside his front window for him to ride, and still his arm would be broken.

We woke up Sunday morning to 2 floating goldfish.  Yep, that’s right, the fish didn’t last as long as the cast, and neither did pity. We are over this cast thing.  Thankful for great doctors (who speak English), great medical care, and healing bones, but not so much for the big red, threat to self and others cast.  I will say the cast as been a catalyst of sorts for Jackson to have to work through disappointment and tempering his energy. So maybe we will all come out with a bit more knowledge and understanding….and one of us with a scronny arm. 

As the boys brainstorm their next pet and argue about who will pick the color of the dog or the size of the hamster, I am smiling thinking of the fish named Pity. He taught me a little lesson on my efforts to try to ignore the real needs.  Will we end up with another fish, likely, but it won’t be named Pity.