pet rock

i am a mom. not a perfect mom, i know this. but i am a good mom. i love my kids. i admire them. they make me laugh and they make me cry. i am proud of them. they amaze me. on a daily basis. they fight with each other. alot. sometimes over important things. sometimes over stupid stuff. but they love each other. they may not admit it but they know they do.

they are collectively grieving the recent loss of two pets. each in their own unique way. i hear them say sweet things. i see them do nice things. i notice that they hold their tongue (when any other time they would not.) i see them offer tokens of kindness. i see them leave each other alone. i feel them acknowledge each other's pain. i see them love each other.

i think i am going to reinvent the "pet rock". you pick a suitable rock, paint a face onit, give it a name. done. that's about as low maintenence as it gets. you don't have to buy it food. you don't have to take it out for 3 a.m. potty break. if you're too busy to remember that it even exists, no big deal, no one's feelings are hurt. no vet bills if you drop it. and the best part...they never die.

i have two sad kids with two dead pets. they died of natural causes (whatever they were), they weren't stepped on, mistreated, starved or eaten by the cat. they just died. which makes it even more confusing for the kids. i mean, if you feed and water them, play with them and most importantly, love them, shouldn't they live forever? not so.

so now my kids have had to learn one of life's most painful lessons...everything dies. eventually.
and i learned that even though they act like they don't at times, they love each other.

excuse me, i have a couple of funerals to plan.