Puckiley T.F. Reynolds died today due to complications brought on by being a fish. He is survived by his owner Rachel Helen Reynolds, age 4, of Clarksville. Puckiley was purchased by Miss Reynolds from the Sango Wal-Mart six weeks ago and where after he was placed in a purple fish tank in her bed room. A funeral and memorial service was held in the guest bathroom at the Reynolds residence. Flowers can be sent to Miss Reynolds directly.
Last month my wife and I purchased our daughter her first pet. It was a fish she lovingly named Puckiley. This morning while picking up around Rachel’s room I noticed that Puckiley had died. I hastily called my wife in to show her the poor fish belly up. Neither of us knew how to bridge the conversation with our four year old daughter. We ran through several scenarios and practice conversations. Then we even read up in a book on raising pre-schoolers. However, as the time approached to tell Rachel of her dead pet we still had no idea of what to say.
I stepped into the living room and called Rachel away from the toys she was playing with. As she came near I told her that Puckiley had gotten sick and wasn’t living anymore. Becky and I then took Rachel to the room to show her the “body” of her fish. Still not sure if what I was doing was the best thing to do I just kept hugging Rachel and telling her to say good bye to her fish. Finally we took Rachel to the bathroom and put Puckiley in the toilet for his final swim.
There in the middle of our guest bathroom we prayed as a family. During the prayer we thanked God for letting Puckiley come to live with us. Just before we sent the fish on its way Rachel looked down and said, “I love you Puckiley.” It was at that point that Becky and I absolutely lost it. Both of us could not help but cry at our daughter’s sweet goodbye to her fish. With tears in my eyes I reached out and pushed the plunger on the toilet then went into the arms of my daughter finding more solace in her than I was offering.
It was a dramatic moment there praying around our second toilet. It was not in any way what I expected the conversation to be like. Honestly, it was the first time I had ever realized how difficult it is to raise a child after the fall of man. A great portion of parenting is protecting your children. Not just from things like eating food when it is too hot or climbing up things they shouldn’t. I want to protect my son and daughter from the ugly things of the world. At least protect them for as long as possible. Death, lust, lying, corruption; really anything I can shield them from as long as I can I will.
Yet, we are children of the fall. Up until their banishment from the garden both Adam and Eve never had to worry about what to tell their future children when a pet died. However, drawn by a needless desire for power sin entered the human race. Today I saw how this curse not only affects my personal fight against sin but also how I have to parent. Words like dead; funeral, soul, and eternity must be a part of conversations from here on with my four year old daughter.
The peace I find is that I parent under the Lordship of a God who had to discuss death with his own child. He had to discuss death on a cross, a funeral in a borrowed grace, let Him know it was for the souls of humanity, so all who choose Christ might have eternity in Heaven. It doesn’t make my task any easier. There will be many more difficult conversations to come. However, I have been saved by grace, raised in grace, live by grace and I will parent by grace. This grace will lead me, a son of Adam, to raise my child, a daughter of Adam.
