A few weeks ago I told you about the mice that brought so much joy into my daughter's life. Well, tragedy struck this week. She came into my room sobbing the night before last. Apparently, one of her dear mice took a nap, and did not wake up. So, we retrieved the poor little thing (we had only had it for three weeks, and it was only three months old when we got it) out of it's cage, placed it gently in a shoe box, and took it outside (for Dad to take care of ... eeeew!).
Then I tried to calm her down. The poor thing was so upset. She had grown so attached to these two little mice in the three short weeks that they had been with us. And she knew that their life expectancy was not overly long (one to three years), but she also knew that it was certainly longer than just under four months.
We then had a discussion on how fragile life is, how one must appreciate the time that we have, and how we have to be responsible when caring for living things, but nothing really seemed to console her. I think she cried herself to sleep, which just breaks my heart. She was pretty sleepy when she got up yesterday morning, so I'm sure she did not sleep well.
Yesterday, on my way home from work, I bought her a new mouse. It's funny, because we were just at the pet store on Saturday, and she had been eyeing this red-ish colored mouse, and I told her no way. We already had two mice. No way were we going to get another one. So I went back to the same pet store, hoping to pick up that same little red-ish colored mouse that she was looking at, but it was already gone.
Now, while I am at the pet store doing this little surprise for her, she is incessantly calling my phone. Where are you? Are you almost home? Can we get a mouse tonight?
Geesh child ... relax and let me do something nice for you!
So I told her that I had to run an errand on my way home, and that her brother had band tryouts tonight, and that they had religion class, and that I just wasn't sure that we'd have time to go get a mouse tonight. (Mean, huh?)
I pull into the driveway, and I see her putting on her jacket ... thinking that we'd run to the pet store before we took her brother to his band tryout ... and I look at her from the car and shake my head no. Her face instantly falls. And then, I hold up the little pet store box with the mouse in it, and her face immediately lights up. She runs out to the car to get her new little mouse, and she is brimming over with joy!
Once again, a silly little rodent fills her life with happiness!
I sure hope this one makes it longer than the last one did. I'm not sure we can handle tragedy like that every three weeks!
This morning, on our way to volleyball practice, she says, "I love you Mom. You are the best Mom in the world."
Amazing what one little mouse can do, eh?
Cheers!
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