by M. J. Joachim

Created on: October 13, 2007

I was always intimidated by the thought of maintaining an aquarium. I grew up near the ocean, and fish never seemed to belong in big, glass, rectangle containers. I've heard about the work involved in taking care of fish, and honestly couldn't understand why anyone would want to take something like that on just to look at a few fish that couldn't go anywhere. Then my animal lover daughter, Olivia decided to ask her grandparents for fish for Christmas a few years ago.

I went through the pros and cons of owning a fish tank with everyone, and in the end decided to let Olivia get a small tank for her room. The flowing water would be soothing. Taking care of a personal pet would teach responsibility. Olivia's room would have to be kept clean because the fish would always be looking at it. I added that she would have to work extra hard on her homework, because fish like school.

Choosing to let Olivia get a fish tank proved to be one of the best decisions I ever made as a mom. Olivia was only nine when she received the tank from her grandparents. No one in our family knew very much about taking care of aquariums or fish. Consequently we learned many things that no one expected to learn.

Within the first few weeks of having these new fish, we noticed that one of the fish in Olivia's tank was getting very fat. It didn't take long to realize that we weren't over feeding her. This fish was pregnant. I grew up with the understanding that fish lay eggs, so this was a rather astonishing development for me to comprehend. Every day, I would check this poor little mother so I could tell Olivia the moment the babies were born. Sometimes I would lose track of time, and sit for several minutes noticing the movement and interaction of all of the fish, tapping the glass lightly when any of them picked on the mother to be.

Olivia and I watched one day, as that little black molly gave birth to several babies over many hours. We talked about her struggle, and shouted joyfully each time a baby came forth. Over the next few days, we watched and learned as nature took its course. Many of the babies died. Some were eaten by the other fish. A few survived.

Olivia and I didn't talk very much about everything that took place. Neither one of us had a lot to say. Olivia seemed to understand that it was okay. She came to me one day and said, "Life just happens until it's time to end. I guess it doesn't have to take very long to matter." I smiled as I gave her a hug.

Today, Olivia's fish tank has been moved to the dining room. Life happened one day when her small fish tank sprung a leak. The fish all survived, and we invested in a bigger tank so we could get a variety of different fish. Through the years, Olivia's fish tank has seen a few fish come and go. She has developed a wonderful outlook about the cycle of life because of this. I too have learned that while it is good to know there are so many fish in the sea, there is nothing wrong with having a few fish in a big, glass, rectangle container so that a child can reap the benefits of owning a pet.

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