Monday, October 23, 2006

All good things must come to an end

Saturday the kids got two goldfish at a friend's birthday party. They were soooo excited about it, and on Sunday they had a blast feeding them and watching them swim around. These were the kids' very first pets ever. Anna named one of them "Daniel" and one of them "Fish."

Well, this morning at approximately 5:30 a.m. , Kevin came back into our room to say goodbye (yes he leaves that early for work.) He leaned down and said to me, "Some goldfish live up to 40 years. Ours maxed out at 2 days." Yep, both fish, dead as of 5:30 this morning! One was floating belly-up, the other laying on its side on the bottom of the bowl.

A couple of hours later I got up and told Anna the news. I showed her the bowl and said, "Anna your fishies died." She looked at them and wisely said, "They're not swimming anymore." I told her that I needed to flush them down the toilet. "I can help!" she proudly declared. So, we headed into the bathroom where my two and half year old dumped the fishies down the toilet all by herself, and flushed. Later she called Daddy and Grandma to tell them the news.

The great thing about goldfish, however, is that they are easily replaceable. I plan to get some more, mostly because the kids love having them, but also to prove to myself that we Heldts can successfully maintain a couple of fish!

9 comments:

darci said...

oh dear, we just had our own goldfish catastrophe...my dad bought the girls each a goldfish "goldie" and "castle"..castle didn't make it too long. I took the liberty of telling my 3 year old that castle was gone to Heaven..do you think He minds? :)
that is so funny that anna helped flush them! good luck keeping your next fish alive. I seem to kill fish and plants...

Jeannett said...

Anna's a pretty realistic kid. I love that about her. Not too emotional about it...facts of life, ya know?

Although I have to admit, I'm impressed that you even allowed a fish at all...you always tell me you're not a "pet person"...so, hey, maybe you can work your way up to a dog...I hear they're not that bad.

Bek said...

that is a great little girl you have. If you check my archives you can see our saga of the fish. The fish that wouldn't die.. then died, then came back to life, then died again. We don't do well w/ fish in our house.

For Lulu's 4th birthday her daddy bought her 4 fish. The next morning they were all belly up. I guess that is why they call them feeder fish....

BTW...Beta's are pretty hard to kill. Don't let my story scare you away. They are pretty harty!!!

Anonymous said...

Haha, we got two goldfish and they died 3 HOURS after we got them home! Gregory was also very matter-of-fact with their watery grave.

Brianna Heldt said...

Well it's good to know we're not the only ones whose fish have died! :)

Jeannett, I still maintain I am not a "pet person." I have no desire to have a pet per se, like a dog or a cat, it's just wayyyyy too much work for something I wouldn't be that into. Plus we never, ever want any indoor pets so we'd need to live somewhere with a bigger area for a pet to be outside. Also I have horrible allergies and am mildly allergic to cats/dogs. I figure a fish isn't too much work, and the kids love 'em!

Rachel said...

I would recommend getting a small tank that has an air filter. That seems to keep fish alive a lot longer. I had one that was a triangle and under two gallons that I got for $10. Also if you get a Beta ($2) they are pretty hardy and come in pretty blues and reds. I personally think fish are harder than cats because you have to clean the tank, which I hate. The air filter also keeps the tank clean longer between feedings.

Anonymous said...

We have a fish reluctantly. I can't believe we made it to 5 days. What did my parents do when I was a kid. Our fish were dead practically before we got them home.

Anonymous said...

Gosto de encontrar outros Heldt. Grande abraço e sucesso a vocês.

Jeannett said...

I'm guessing you don't know who this guy is or maybe even what language. I'll translate: "I love finding other Heldts. Big hugs and success to you." (It's Portuguese).

 

Blog Template by YummyLolly.com