Lessons from the Tank

We got Daddy a 37 gallon aquarium for his Father's Day gift and Nicholas and Natalie were PUMPED to get it set up and filled with fish. We purchased decorations similar to the fish tank in the movie "Finding Nemo" so you will notice Mt. Wanna-Hocka-Loogie is in there, very cool.

So yesterday we set out to PetSmart to find some friendly fish for our tank. Nicholas (with a true heart like his Momma) chose the feeder fish because "that way they won't get eaten"...

Natalie on the other hand wanted the Cichlids (who are often agressive and will eat the other fish in the tank)...go figure.

So Nicholas was very excited about his fish and decided to name just one on the way home from the pet store. So he chose one of the two black fish and named him "Iffy". Good, good...but might be an omen here to name a feeder fish who cost only $0.27 "Iffy".

So the kids fell asleep on the way home and Josh and I set about getting the fish into the tank. Well lo and behold when we are about to introduce them to their new, spacious environment outside of the plastic bag they have been cooped up inside, we notice "Iffy" has passed on to that big fishbowl in the sky. Oh heavens...out of all 8 fish, the one he named has to be the one to die?? Well, we agree that we will just say that the other black fish that survived is "Iffy" even though he has a bit more gold to him, surely Nicholas won't be able to tell the difference.

Wrong

Skip to this morning when Nicholas wakes up and runs to the fish tank. He stares at the tank for about 30 seconds...

Nicholas: "Where is Iffy?"

Daddy: "Right there, see?"

Nicholas: "That's not Iffy"

Daddy: "Oh, well one of the black fish didn't make it so I guess that must have been Iffy"

Mommy rushes to the scene because she can sense a meltdown.

Nicholas: "Iffy DIED??"

Mommy: "Yes, honey...we are sorry."

Nicholas: **Begins to cry**

Mommy: **Begins to cry too**

So all this crying over a $0.27 fish who didn't even make it home from the pet store. So we talked about how sometimes people and animals we love die but we can remember how happy they made us and we are certain "Iffy" is swimming around happily in his heavenly fishbowl. :)