My daughter's hamster died yesterday. She had it for a little more than a week, but she was very attached to it. When she saw that it was dead, she cried about it with a force that I found odd...she only had it for a week after all. I did try to comfort her, but was not too effective as I did not have the same attachment to the rodent that she had. She carried on more than when Grandma Wright passed away.
Gracie wanted a hamster as bad as any 10-11 year old could want something. Her mom made the agreement that she could get one if she made the Battle of the Books team. Gracie tried and worked very hard to make the team. She was successful and my wife let her buy a hamster. So, I can kind of understand the emotional attachment to this creature.
This incident challenged my perspective. It made me reflect on pets that I had lost over the years. I can recall only one where I was really upset about, but it was not due to my emotional attachment to the animal. It was my wife's cat...I hated that cat, but I knew she loved it. It died when she was away from home. The guilt I felt about it was overwhelming. But as far as being so sad to the point of uncontrollable grief...I just don't have it in me.
Why should the death of a pet be so much less than the death of a loved one? Maybe because it's an animal and not a loved one. I have known a lot of people who have lost pets and were beside themselves with grief. I feel bad for the person and the loss of their pet, I suppose, but I can never understand the amount of grief that is placed on the loss itself.
Maybe I'm just an insensitive guy. Maybe I have never had a pet that I have had an emotional attachment too. My view of pets are not from the emotional investment standpoint. To me, pets are a financial loss. The sooner they die off, the less I have to pay to support it. Is that wrong?
With that attitude, I will be taking Gracie to get another hamster. I'm not sure how I feel about it. The new hamster will die...eventually. Is she prepared for this? Is this an exercise in grief management for her? What lessons is she taking away from this, if any at all? Only time will tell.
Gracie wanted a hamster as bad as any 10-11 year old could want something. Her mom made the agreement that she could get one if she made the Battle of the Books team. Gracie tried and worked very hard to make the team. She was successful and my wife let her buy a hamster. So, I can kind of understand the emotional attachment to this creature.
This incident challenged my perspective. It made me reflect on pets that I had lost over the years. I can recall only one where I was really upset about, but it was not due to my emotional attachment to the animal. It was my wife's cat...I hated that cat, but I knew she loved it. It died when she was away from home. The guilt I felt about it was overwhelming. But as far as being so sad to the point of uncontrollable grief...I just don't have it in me.
Why should the death of a pet be so much less than the death of a loved one? Maybe because it's an animal and not a loved one. I have known a lot of people who have lost pets and were beside themselves with grief. I feel bad for the person and the loss of their pet, I suppose, but I can never understand the amount of grief that is placed on the loss itself.
Maybe I'm just an insensitive guy. Maybe I have never had a pet that I have had an emotional attachment too. My view of pets are not from the emotional investment standpoint. To me, pets are a financial loss. The sooner they die off, the less I have to pay to support it. Is that wrong?
With that attitude, I will be taking Gracie to get another hamster. I'm not sure how I feel about it. The new hamster will die...eventually. Is she prepared for this? Is this an exercise in grief management for her? What lessons is she taking away from this, if any at all? Only time will tell.
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