yoza

Fred is dead.

I was woken this morning to my Son standing at the end of the bed explaining that Fred wouldnt wake up.

Fred was bought 3 years ago, and chosen by my son, he was about 4cms long when we got him and he grew to 10 cms long with a huge fan tail.

The picture is of Fred in a pint beaker to give you an idea of his size.

I have cleaned the tank and the other fish look OK, maybe I should have cleaned the tank earlier...ooops.

Now then, do I tell my 4 year old that Fred is dead, or should I go and buy a similar fish and say Fred was having a lie in, and he is now awake ?

I dont really like the idea of lieing to him, but if its for the best I will.





I have decided to freeze Fred in his beaker for the time being, until I decide upon what type of funeral arrangements are appropriate.

Later Yoza

Leslie

Always upsetting to lose a pet, maybe it was old age Yoza. Your choice what to say to your son of course, but how easy is it to find a fish which looks exactly like Fred?

Les

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

We had two goldfish, cheese and pickle (dont ask ) whom the kids loved to feed. However cheese was found floating in the turbulence of the filter a while back and he was swiftly dispatched to the bin.

Broke the news to the 3 kids and all three of them took the news pretty good. No point in trying to plant a decoy IMHO. You just need to decide if your son would like a replacement

+Doc+

Sorry to hear that, be honest and tell him the fish has gone in the clouds watching down on everyone swimming happily.

David Lock

I think with a fish the truth may be a good introduction to the realities of life.

But I did lie when my daughter's new Guinea Pig snuffed it after 3 days and a replacement had to be found sharpish.

And she kept a rabbit and used to get upset over road kill rabbits. For quite some time I think she accepted my explanation "Look he's not dead, he's just asleep. Look there are his legs having a rest and his head and shoulders are over there in the shade!"

dl

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Surely at some point, you will have to explain what 'death' is to your child. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be convincing them that all things die sometime. Do the right thing and tell the truth.
What happens when 'Nan' passes away, how do you explain that? Far easier to start with a fish!

stoneface

iTrader: (6)

Tell him the truth, I did with my 4 year old daughter when the rabbit died and she watched me bury it, its good for them to start understanding death at that age.

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

My Dad tried to replace my (dead) rabbit when I was 4ish, it was called "Snowy" due to it being white, the replacement had black ears and a huge black spot on it.

Spoon

Are you sure Fred is dead? I just saw him blink.

David Lock

An excellent point.

Is the tank big enough to stuff Nan in the bottom, when the time comes, so you can say "Look Nan has gone to see Fred. isn't that sweet".

My favourite "dead fish" story is about the little girl whose Goldfish, which she kept in the bedroom, kept dieing (not the same one!). One evening dad heard her crying and next to her pillow was a little wet patch where she had given Goldfish a cuddle to say goodniight to him. Cue violins

dl

yoza

"What happens when 'Nan' passes away, how do you explain that? Far easier to start with a fish!"

What a strange thing to say....

I cant go to the pet shop and buy a new Nan, but I can buy a new fish. :rolleyeyes:

I didnt buy a new one, I told him Fred has gone to the big fishtank in the sky....which then led to a 30 minute chat from clouds to tornadoes, stars, Nemo, how did he get up there, baby Jesus etc..

There was a heart stopping moment when he disappeared into the freezer for a mini milk, but the fish was in a different draw.

I think sticking a lolly stick in the beaker and making a FreddyPop would have been a bit too much for him.