So yesterday, I gave Grady a snack at the bar and then went outside for a minute to hang some sheets on the clothesline. I was outside for MAYBE 5 minutes, but that happened to be plenty of time for Grady to cause a little turmoil for our Beta Fish. We have 3 fish in 3 different jars on the bar in the kitchen (important background info).
I walked in and made some observations in what seemed like slow motion:
1-Grady was on top of the counter.
2-There was water dripping off of the counter onto the floor.
3-Some of the water seemed to have sharp corners.
4-It wasn't water, it was glass.
5-Grady had a blood on his nose.
6-Grady was explaining that the fish wanted to be friends.
7-Despite the broken glass and blood, Grady wasn't crying (presumably because he was so worried about the fish friendship).
This situation had such potential to be disastrous, but for some reason we were both completely calm. I picked him up, sat him on the stool, sternly explained that the fish DID NOT want to be friends and that he COULD NOT touch or play with the fish. I quickly scanned the counters and floors for the displaced fish, caught sight of him near the sink, grabbed a glass, and plopped him back in some water. Then I began cleaning up all the broken glass, and wiping up the water. It was then I realized that another one of the fish bowls had a missing fish. I asked Grady where the red fish was. Apparently it was the one wanting to be "friends," and somehow Grady had managed to put him in the same bowl with the 3rd fish. I should mention at this point that Betas have to be in separate bowls because they fight to the death. Not wanting to see such blood shed, I grabbed a net, the second misplaced fish, and plopped him back in his original bowl. Bloodshed avoided. Again, I explained to Grady that these fish were friends, but that they DID NOT want to be in the same bowl. EVER.
I think the message stuck, because now every time he walks by the fish he tells me that the fish are friends, but they don't want to share homes.
Good to know. Next time Grady will be helping me hang the sheets.
4 comments:
Oh gosh! Good save on the beta fish potential death match. I bet that was a little scary to come in the house too...Grady is pretty cute though.
VERY cute, albeit a mite bloody, story! Little kids + fish? Interesting results. I once found a very dry, crisp of a beta on my 3 year old's floor. He said he'd wanted "to fish" the night before. Didn't know why his "fish flopped so much on the floor and got crunchy?"
At 6, he's still not allowed to have an unattended pet in his room. =)
omg, cant wait to see those little buggers at the end of the month!
--aunt patti
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