Once again, I don’t think I’ll win “Mother of the Year” with the tale I’m about to tell.  I took my girls to a festival recently since they were having free inflatables to jump in, free entertainment and free activities and games.  Sounded like a winning combination to me and the girls did have a wonderful time.  They were even more excited when they got to play the “pick a duck” game.  Here they had to pick a duck out of a swirling duck pond and if they got the correct number, they would win a prize.  I had no idea what the prize was so, of course, I was rooting them on, “you can do it, get that duck”.  My encouraging praise soon dwindled when I saw what the “prize” was ………… a goldfish.  Ahhh….”seriously”, I asked the game attendant? And she shamefully nodded her head in agreement.  Oh no I thought, what are we going to do with a fish.  K was so excited that she exuberantly named her fish, Jewell, and then encouragingly got her sister to play the game too.  I was secretly hoping that S would not pick the winning duck, but, alas, I think the game was rigged because she too became the proud owner of a tiny brown fish she named, Fishy.  Ugh, now I had two excited girls proudly displaying their fish for anyone who walked by them.

Since my girls were thrilled with their fish and K was especially proud, I told them that we would stop at the pet store on the way home to get some fish supplies.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I unsuspectingly walk into the pet store thinking I could just purchase a small tank and some food. WRONG.  The nice sales girl explained to me that if I had goldfish that they would need a tank with a filter (“ca-ching”- $19.99), a fish net (“ca-ching, $2.49), a scrubber for the tank (“ca-ching, $1.99), bacteria drops (“ca-ching $3.49), and some decorative tank items (“ca-ching”, $3.75).  Luckily, the fish food was included with the tank.
 
After purchasing the items, we headed home to set up the tank for Jewel and Fishy.  Luck was not on my side and as I went to fill the tank with water, it slipped out of my hands and landed on the floor and the oh-so-durable, made in China, fish tank cracked.  Oh no!  Jewel and Fishy were out of luck.  I was not going to return and purchase another fish tank.  I had already spent more than I wanted to for our “free” day of fun.  Of course, that left me with a dilemma, what am I going to do with these fish and how am I going to console my daughters over loosing Jewel and Fishy.  We were headed to a local park with a pond the next day so I told the girls that we would let Jewel and Fishy enjoy life in an even bigger fish bowl where they could grow and prosper. The girls actually surprised me and accepted that this would be a better alternative for their fish. 

Yes, I realized that Jewel’s and Fishy’s days were numbered – they would either become fish food or they would not be able to adjust to pond life. PETA, please don’t get too upset with me.  The people who really should be taken to task are the ones who thought it would be a great idea to give young impressionable children fish to take home.  In retrospect, I should have returned the fish to the game attendant, but I think both my girls would have had major melt downs had I done that.  So, for other parents, let my shameful fish tale be a lesson for you.  If you see children walking around with plastic bags filled with water and fish, get your kids ASAP and exit the premises quickly.  For the event organizers who think giving away goldfish is a good idea, please think again. First, it’s not cheap to get fish set up in a proper home, and secondly, it opens the door for a child’s disappointment – the fish could die or their Mother could be a major klutz and ruin their only chance for a safe, stable home.  If the organizers intend to keep giving out fish, they should probably have a flier on hand detailing what needs to be done in order to care for your new found fish friend.  At least, the parents would have some idea what they were getting themselves into. 

Jewel & Fishy, I’m really hoping that you are still swimming.