Hannah's Growing Pains

Being 8 years old can be difficult sometimes.  Hannah wants so much to show that she is growing up and that she is ready to take on more responsibilities. Unfortunately with responsibility comes lessons that are often difficult to experience.

Lesson 1: I am responsible for the condition of my bedroom.  - Even though Hannah isn't the only one who messes up her room.  We are trying to teach her that it is ultimately her responsibility to keep it clean.  It took being grounded to her room for the afternoon an almost getting grounded again for her to understand that she should ask those that help her mess it up to help clean it up. Although it is still not perfect, she has grown to understand that this is part of being in a family and taking care of the things we are blessed to have in our lives.

Lesson 2: Guinea Pigs are not meant to be acrobats. - We have had foster care of one of Hannah's 3rd Grade Class Guinea Pigs.  After a successful visit over the Thanksgiving Holiday of both of them, we certainly felt capable of handling "Mocha"  for the week of Spring Break.  We got new bedding, some treats and the teacher gave us the necessary hay and pellets to make his stay enjoyable.

Hannah was to be in charge of his care and was to insure that no one handled him without her being present.  Well she was present, but none-the-less her sister, Sarah, dropped him :-(  (Of course neither of them felt to tell me this at the time.) Well Wednesday night we noticed Mocha was dragging his hind legs when he walked.  Not that we want to have a pet Guinea Pig right now, but I sure couldn't let this little animal suffer or worse die under our watch. 

So I called the only local vet that deals with these little guys and made an appointment for that afternoon.  This is where the concept of a drop was introduced.  I called Hannah at her Aunt's house and asked her if he had been dropped and sure enough she told me about Sarah's mishap.  The good news was that they didn't see any breaks or fractures, but the bad news is that the vet couldn't rule out that there may be a spinal injury or slight fracture that just isn't showing up on x-ray yet.  Hannah's teacher is coming to pick him up on Sunday evening early to keep him at home and follow up on his progress.  We're keeping our prayers and hopes that he won't have to be put down. 

Bottom Line: Bedding and Veggies for a comfortable Stay - $20, Gas to the Vet and Back - $5, Vet Exam, X-Ray & Pain Medicine - $93,  Hannah realizing that our family is not ready for a fragile little pet - PRICELESS!

                           

Lesson 3: Saying "I got mixed up" doesn't always make everything OK. While visiting her Aunt Mimi, Hannah and her cousin were told they could get some little horse trading cards from the shop where Uncle Patrick works.  These little packs of card cost $2-$3.  Well Hannah asked to call Uncle Patrick and she told him to buy her a box set, which has 5 of the smaller sets and costs $10-$12.  Upon Uncle bringing the cards home Mimi realized this problem.  Hannah just kept saying she got mixed up and didn't realize the difference between the two sets.  I, of course, know better.  So she was allowed to do some work Mimi's to earn some of the cards back, but since Mom had to pay Mimi the difference, the remaining cards belong to me until she works more of it off. 

So these three lessons all in one week have been hard on Hannah.  There have been many tears and frustrations, but in the end, I think she has a better appreciation for what being responsible means and that she can make choices, but she can't the escape consequences that follow.