'My mum tricked me into thinking my rabbit was dead'
By Suzy Monzer|
Would you give away your kids' rabbit if it became too much for you? How would you break the news?
Well, my mum figured telling me my pet was dead would work. I'm not sure I agree.?
It was a hot summer day when I arrived home from school to find my parents waiting for me by the door.?
As I reached the top of the driveway, I was hit with words no nine-year-old wants to hear: "I'm sorry, your rabbit Diamond has passed away."
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I was surprised by the anguish I felt in response to the loss of a rabbit I only saw for an hour each morning and a few hours after school.?
A flush of memories overcame me. My dad had bought us the bunnies on a traditional Sunday family trip to Morriset markets before they had closed.
I chose a black rabbit and named her Diamond, while my younger sister grabbed a grey one and gave her the name of Crystal. Always was and always will be a copycat.
We knew Mum wasn't super fond of pets; we were used to hearing the lecture about how having a pet meant having responsibility and that we could barely figure out how to look after ourselves.
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Despite this, we got the green light from both parents to get these bunnies, so as you'd expect, we were overjoyed.?
My sister and I would wake up early before school to make sure we had time to feed them and change the hay when necessary. We didn't get as much time to play or cuddle them as we would have liked.
On receiving the news of Diamond's death, that joy was replaced by utter sadness. I'd never had a pet before, and didn't expect to feel such grief for a pet I owned for just under six months.
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It turns out though, my rabbit hadn't actually died.
It wasn't until almost a decade later that my mum confessed she had given the rabbits to an older woman on our street because the rabbits, on one occasion, had attracted a rat.?
We all laughed and agreed they probably lived a better quality of life with someone who could spend more time with them. However, although my mum may be the best person in my life, I still struggle to understand why she didn't just tell me the truth.?
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Maybe she thought it would be a quicker healing process to know Diamond was gone rather than to long for her? Maybe she didn't want consistent nagging to have the rabbits back? Maybe she didn't think it would affect us, since kids are renowned to be quick to move onto the next??
Although my grieving over Diamond is well behind me, if your kids end up with a pet that becomes too much for you to handle or you become incapable of taking care of them, please, for the love of God, do not trick them into thinking their pets are dead.
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