Any mother will tell you, they know in an instant, from the tone of a voice, how fast your feet need to carry you to one of the children. A week ago, in the morning, I heard my name shouted out with a touch of fear and sadness.....Our beloved pet was found stiff in her cage by it's owner, an 8 year old little mother.
Our hamster, the poor little furry friend, didn't make it and the kids had an up close encounter with death of a loved one. Four out of my five were sobbing, moaning, and clutching my pant legs for comfort. If the baby could have understood, he would have been there too for sure!
We put her in a special box, thanked God for the year He gave us with her, and prayed for Jesus to take care of her now. They made special things to put in the box with her, a few crosses, and coloring pages. My son made an outdoor cross out of sticks and tape, and the funeral arrangements progressed. Our oldest, 8 years old led the prayers for her pet, and amidst tears, she gave an amazing eulogy, showing her own motherly love, and a maturity beyond her years. My HH dug a hole, placed the box inside, and we said "goodbye".
That day was a quiet one. Even at meal times, the usual chatter was gone. The children truly gave our furry friend a day of mourning.
Children are quite resilient creatures.....My HH made the announcement to get a new pet and all went to pick out our latest furry friend, a young and feisty replacement hamster who shows much more promise. The children have grown to love her too, now, and I rarely see tears any more for our lost pet.
I can't even tell you how hard that day was. As a mother you want to fix the problem, cure the illness, kiss the ouchie, make the meal...do all that is required to comfort. That day, I could only cry with them....and nothing I was going to say would have helped. But this is part of life, we outlive our pets. Those we love, we might lose. A tough lesson for young children. The beauty in it all, and yes, there IS beauty, is that the home is the heart where these lessons are learned in a loving, caring environment, where it's ok to cry, ok to be sad for a while.
The kids will grow up, face the world in all it's uncertainty. The day our pet died, inside I knew and wanted to tell them, it's just a rodent, like a mouse or rat. Should I have just taught them to be detached from loving their pet?...to toughen up? to be more mature? That would have been an injustice. They loved her, and their emotion was real. One day they'll be in the world, and having been taught to love at home, and not be detached will most certainly be part of why things will hurt one day. And that too breaks my heart as a mother....but we must still teach them to love, and take that risk. And know, that home is a safe place to show emotion, a soft place to land when the world may hurt us. Those days, which I am sure will come, I will be satisfied to just cry with them, to comfort them, to allow it all. The world will toughen them up enough - and my job, as mother is to bring that comfort, perhaps the only one who can.
Now, tell me, Motherhood isn't a Proud Profession.
Our hamster, the poor little furry friend, didn't make it and the kids had an up close encounter with death of a loved one. Four out of my five were sobbing, moaning, and clutching my pant legs for comfort. If the baby could have understood, he would have been there too for sure!
We put her in a special box, thanked God for the year He gave us with her, and prayed for Jesus to take care of her now. They made special things to put in the box with her, a few crosses, and coloring pages. My son made an outdoor cross out of sticks and tape, and the funeral arrangements progressed. Our oldest, 8 years old led the prayers for her pet, and amidst tears, she gave an amazing eulogy, showing her own motherly love, and a maturity beyond her years. My HH dug a hole, placed the box inside, and we said "goodbye".
That day was a quiet one. Even at meal times, the usual chatter was gone. The children truly gave our furry friend a day of mourning.
Children are quite resilient creatures.....My HH made the announcement to get a new pet and all went to pick out our latest furry friend, a young and feisty replacement hamster who shows much more promise. The children have grown to love her too, now, and I rarely see tears any more for our lost pet.
I can't even tell you how hard that day was. As a mother you want to fix the problem, cure the illness, kiss the ouchie, make the meal...do all that is required to comfort. That day, I could only cry with them....and nothing I was going to say would have helped. But this is part of life, we outlive our pets. Those we love, we might lose. A tough lesson for young children. The beauty in it all, and yes, there IS beauty, is that the home is the heart where these lessons are learned in a loving, caring environment, where it's ok to cry, ok to be sad for a while.
The kids will grow up, face the world in all it's uncertainty. The day our pet died, inside I knew and wanted to tell them, it's just a rodent, like a mouse or rat. Should I have just taught them to be detached from loving their pet?...to toughen up? to be more mature? That would have been an injustice. They loved her, and their emotion was real. One day they'll be in the world, and having been taught to love at home, and not be detached will most certainly be part of why things will hurt one day. And that too breaks my heart as a mother....but we must still teach them to love, and take that risk. And know, that home is a safe place to show emotion, a soft place to land when the world may hurt us. Those days, which I am sure will come, I will be satisfied to just cry with them, to comfort them, to allow it all. The world will toughen them up enough - and my job, as mother is to bring that comfort, perhaps the only one who can.
Now, tell me, Motherhood isn't a Proud Profession.
Comments