Speedy-Swift-Fast

Where has the time gone and where is that little boy?  I remember Chase at 4 years old and his excitement in getting his first pet; a goldfish.  I can still hear the squeals and laughter as he tried to catch that goldfish, in the pet store, as it zoomed around in the tank.  After a little jumping up and down and some splashed water we exit the store with "Speedy-Swift-Fast" in a plastic bag.  What a funny name for a fish!  Chase was all smiles carrying his new best friend.

Goldfish from OpenClipArt.org

A year later, the goldfish is belly up in its tank and I'm trying to figure out how to ease the bad news to Chase.  The Cosby Show episode with the Huxtable family burying Rudy's goldfish in the backyard flashes through my mind. While I'm thinking of plans for a fish funeral, here stumbles in a sleepy Chase to feed his pet.  With a solemn voice I explain that Speedy-Swift-Fast died.  This is also when I discovered that boys think differently than girls.  With his sweet face looking up at me, a flicker of sadness in his green eyes, I'm bracing myself to answer his questions.  There's a moment of silence as he's thinking then he exclaims in his baby voice with a touch of excitement "can we flush it."  Definitely not what I was expecting.

I now understand the nursery rhyme "What are little boys made of?  Snips and snails and puppy-dog tails."