Yesterday was such a great day with 3 of my boys. Eli went to his grandparents and fished with his Poppy (my Daddy) all day. The rest of us worked in the yard, had a visit with family who came in and made a run to town for little critters.
When I was a kid I was NOT a fan of animals. I was as "girly" as they came. My Little Pony's was the closest thing to a animal as I wanted.
After the boys came along my interest changed, drastically. In 12 years we own or have owned the following: Pot Bellied Pig
Fish
Dogs (my fav, obviously)
Cats (whore cats that came here)
Birds
Goat (Peyton named him Blacky. He was solid white)
Chickens/Roosters
Rabbits
Yesterday we brought home baby chickens and two rabbits. I think the employees at TSC thought these animals were Easter related gifts but they were not.
We have had chickens here before. I absoultly love having fresh eggs. I don't eat eggs for reason I'll tell you about another day. :) I enjoyed sitting on the porch watching them eat all the insects out of my yard. They began to roam to the neighbors porch and poop there. It wasn't long until we had to find them another chicken lover home. I'm hoping these stick around better.
Now, the rabbits are my point of this blog. They are for Eli. Eli struggles with life and day to day living more then most little boys his age. He has AD/HD and OCD which is under control for the most part. He is also be treated for Bi-Polar Disorder. This is the first time I have said this out loud to anyone other than my close friends and family. Not because I was ashamed of this but because I didn't want Eli looked at differently than any other 7 year old child. As with any other child, he has good days and bad days. His bad days are just a bit more extreme then most. He has never had a animal of his very own. I thought about this for a long time and decided that this responsibility could be very rewarding for all of us. My intentions are that he will keep his room clean because HIS rabbits don't like clutter. (Eli is a Hoarder in ever sense of the word) I also think he will be calmer and quieter and be more aware of his behavior because HIS rabbits are a little nervous. Screaming and fit throwing makes them scared and sad. (like he is sometimes)
On the other hand I am scared to death for him because he has never dealt with death before. We have had animals to die before and I have always protected him from this. Simply put, I lied every single time about what really happen to these missing animals. This is why I waited so long to buy him something of his very own. These babies will be ALL HIS. He will feed, water and play with these babies. And if one passes for whatever reason he will notice before I will. I have this over whelming urge to check the cage every single morning before he wakes to make sure I don't need to remove a stiff rabbit and tell him how it hopped out during the night to be with his best friend who lives in the woods that he missed so very much. (oh my, I already have the lie planned out)
My question is. Did I mess up by upping the odds for Eli to have to get his heart broken? Should we protect our children from death?
I don't think we should protect our kids from death. Sometimes I think that kids lives are too sterilized from reality. How much harder would my dad's death have been for me if I hadn't already had experience with it before? I can't imagine. You know me though, I am a stickler for truth when it comes to my kids. I decided a long time ago that my girls had to have the strength to deal with life when they left our nest, or they'd end up miserable, unprepared blobs cowering in the corner of their bedrooms one day. I understand the need to protect, and it's hard to argue with that instinct, but I think a reality check early in life does them better in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI love that you talked so openly about Eli. The poor guy certainly has had a lot to deal with, and you too! I can't imagine being tough enough to be able to handle everything these issues must entail. You are even more awesome than I thought you were! Good for you for being able to talk about it!