We Miss You Jerry

For those of you who haven't heard, Jerry died last Thursday. It was a tough day for Jack. It was tough day for mom too. I picked up Jack from school in the afternoon and didn't notice the guinea pigs at all. When Stuart got home later, I heard him make a comment about Jerry. He then asked me to take Jack out of the room so he could check on him. Sure enough he was dead. (No, we're not sure of the cause.) We decided the best thing to do was to be up front and honest. We told Jack that Jerry had died and let him see his body. Jack cried, so of course I cried. It was tough. Stuart had a brilliant idea. He explained to Jack that someone had to tell Tom that his friend died and would need some comforting to feel better. So, Jack bravely went to Tom and explained that Jerry died and proceeded to try to make him feel better. It was so sweet to hear him.

That night I set up the tent again in the living room. (I had been promising Jack for awhile that we would do this and it seemed a good distraction.) I laid with Jack in the tent for a long time as he was so sad about Jerry. He kept asking me to tell God to let him see Jerry again. I tried to explain it didn't work that way. After much conversation, he seemed ok with the idea that he couldn't see Jerry, but that Jerry could watch over him. I offered to print a picture of Jerry so Jack could see him whenever he wanted. So we printed the above picture for him to hold. He said when he dies he will get to see all his pets again.

I suggested to Stuart that we bury Jerry, but my sensitive husband refused. He explained to Jack that Jerry was going to the landfill and his body would become food for the earth. Jack didn't like the idea, but eventually seemed to accept it...until the next morning. Jack and I were in the office when he heard the garbage truck outside and got very upset again because he didn't want Jerry to go to the landfill. Not a great morning.

By Friday evening, however, Jack felt a little better. When I picked him up from school he told me we should go make sure Tom was still alive. Jack wants to get a replacement Jerry. I told him we cannot give a new guinea pig the same name, so he decided on "Nibbles." (Also, from the Tom & Jerry cartoon.) He tells Tom all the time that we will buy him a Nibbles so he won't get lonely. Of course, our dilemma is about the new pet. A guinea pig does need a friend so he doesn't get lonely. But, do we really bother with another guinea pig, or just bite the bullet and buy the boy a dog already?

Here is a last picture of Jack with Jerry. Jack really loves animals and misses Jerry so much.