The Fish Aquarium Incident of 2007 - Read-able version
 

Yet another paragraph in a chapter of life with kids. Saturday night we had an impromptu party at our home. Some friends with their kids found their way over to our house – 9 kids total, 6 adults. The kids ranged in an interesting age bracket. Two sets of girl twins 7 and 4, our two (gonna be 8 and 4) and a 7 yr old boy and 5 year old girl. The youngest is a 2+ boy (little brother to the two sets of twin girls).

The kids were kept under control eventually watching a movie in the media room while mommies and daddies gabbed and drank. Well, the littlest one proved too much of a disruption to the other kids was soon banished (by the older kids) to play by himself in the game room.

Allegedly (because it has yet to be proven), he made his way into Our Son’s room where he found the fish tank. The little guy thinking that the fish wanted to play with Our Son’s Gameboy decided to but it into the fish tank along with the AC charger. He also thought that the fish would like to play with Our Son’s small die-cast farm tractors and the Pine Wood Derby car (which he took 3rd in the pack!). Thinking that the fish may become hungry from all that Gameboy and tractor play, decided to feed them all of the fish food.

Perhaps it was intuition or a sub-audible cry from the Betas and Tetra but I just had one of those feelings. I went into the game room and found the little guy busy at play, by himself with a content look on his face. I checked Our Son’s room to find the fish tank filled with toys. The bottom of the tank, which is normally covered with green stones, was now red with fish food. The shark fish and Tetra were hiding in a corner, the female Beta buried herself into a corner as well and the male Beta (with gills and fins ablaze) was doing the best he could to intimidate a 1/125 scale John Deere front loader.

I sprung into action pulling toy after toy out of the tank. I went downstairs and quietly told my wife the sitch. She, under the cover of pure cool provided me with an 8-quart saucepan to keep the fish in while I cleaned the tank and stones and replaced the water.

I am happy to report that all the fish are doing well – I think. The tractors and Pine Wood Derby car are none the worse for wear but the Gameboy has gone the way of all flesh. It shall be disposed of unceremoniously on garbage day. Our Son took it as well as could be expected but vowed never to allow the little guy into his room and as of today not even this side of the neighborhood. We are sure that will change. The parents of the 2+ yr old felt awful and have offered to replace the Gameboy and anything else that suffered the hand of their progeny. My Wife and I feel as though it is yet another paragraph in the chapter in life and will not get busted up over and have had a good laugh over it.

(We will take a new Gameboy though. Those things are $70!)

What a great story. The work required to fix the mess will be forgotten but the story won't. When my boys were that age (they're 10 and 12 now) both my wife and I had internal timers that would go off whenever we hadn't seen junior or junior for a very short period of time. All I can say is that lives were saved. Along with carpet, toys, clothes, books, etc.

They are a lot easier to deal with now that they're older but I miss their toddler days.

Great story and great attitude.

Ooops. Double post.

Kids are hilarious.

when they're somebody else's




from a distance

+1

I think having to deal with situations like that on my "recreational time" would lead me to mow down an entire neighborhood with an assault rifle in short order. I get enough stress at work - I don't need it at home.

I don't know how you guys find the patience to deal with it - I really don't. You parent types must be absolute saints or something. . . Bless your hearts - I could never handle it. Someone would end up getting killed.

combo of drugs and beer

LubeMaster77 - I think thats how we became parents, not how we succeed at being parents... although it helps.

Cute story.

My fish story:

Daddy decided that LightingMcQueenFish's bowl needed cleaning a couple of Satrudays ago while Mommy was at the store. Just my 3YO, jacob and me at home.

I took the fish out and put him in a saucepan, checking the water temp, of course. DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


When we wnet to put him back in the bowl, he wasn't looking so good.
Jacob likes to net him and place him back in the clean bowl. I knew he wouldn't understand so I just let him do it and put the bowl back on the shelf.


I think the water was too hot for the little guy.

I have since replaced LightningMcQueenFish with another one,now named Nemo.

Good job, Daddy!!!!

Lubie,
You're a better, more patient man than I am. I'd have been industrial strength pissed off over this one. And you're absolutely right...no long term harm done...but I am too short tempered to have remained outwardly calm...especially 18 or 20 years ago when my kids were this age. Good for you. I can tell you for sure, the stories really are going to be fun when they're 25.

Oh Haha I sure hope you didn't get a real clown fish (Nemo). Non saltwater fish don't do well without their salt.

Nope.
.99 goldfish from Meijer.

Reminds me of a event at the house this past weekend. One of the younger ones is a holy terror. His mom was far too busy to notice that he was smashing my walls with a improvised tinker toy hammer. Standing on the cup holder for our stairmaster and generally being a pain. I am calm and collected now, but I spent about 1/4 of my evening chasing this kid around when his mother wouldn't.

When my kids were about 5 & 8 I lifted the toilet seat in the downstairs bathroom to take a leak and saw my Rolex submariner sitting in the bottom of the bowl. Got it on my wrist now, Oh, I washed it off.

Hoot! Whenever our daughter was silent for more than 3 minutes, Cindy would cry out: "Dee-Dee, WHAT are you doing?" If more silence ensued...we knew...;) The kid thought mom could see through walls. Bottom line? You gotta watch 'em...ALL the time!

Next time take the saucepan off the stove top...:D

Thank goodness nothing serious happened. It wouldn't have been cute and hilarious if the charger had been plugged in. Obviously, a 2 1/2 yr old shouldn't be roaming alone in a strange home.

True but he has been over our house a hundred times. The lesson learned is not to be to comfortable. His Mom feels really bad and has called and stopped by today apologizing up and down. The kid was lucky for sure. Thinking back it could have been a small item in his throut instead of trucks et al in the fish tank.

Turn your back on a 2 year old for a minute and bad things can happen.

Remember the terrible two's are followed by the tasmanian three's!

I questioned Our Daughter about the incident. She was mortified. I didn't remember that she was in the other room when we told Our Son. She thinks we should impose a ban on the little guy from coming over any more. Her exact words:

"Daddy, he is just plain bad."