CODE RED at the Derting House!
I’m going to start my story by saying: Squeak is safe! I repeat, Squeak is safe! Also, no hamsters were harmed in the telling of this story…
So, after we learned that our daughter’s beloved hamster, Squeak, was missing from his cage, we spent two hours of our Friday night TEARING. OUR. HOUSE. APART! And to be perfectly honest, we weren’t just looking for a frightened hamster-in-hiding, we were searching for…how do I put this gently…hamster remnants??? Okay, so that may not have been “gently” but come on, we have three cats!
Of course while we were searching every corner of the house with a hysterical 9 year-old girl, we had to constantly remind her that this was a “rescue mission, NOT a recovery mission” (even though we had serious doubts).
Things I learned:
Don’t underestimate the bond between a nine-year-old girl and her hamster.
We have eight flashlights in the house, but only one that actually works.
My kids are slobs! I found a dirty bowl in a toy box, an empty Coke can in a drawer, miscellaneous missing socks virtually everywhere, candy wrappers in the couches, and more dust bunnies than I care to recall. Ever! (Okay, that last part may be my fault, but I’ll let them take the fall anyway.)
Our cats are lazy because that tiny little hamster made it down a flight of stairs, down a hallway, and into the laundry room right next to their food dishes.
ALL of us were searching, but dad gets to be the hero since HE was the one who ultimately found the cowering hamster. (Even though he wouldn’t actually touch the thing.)
Mom is the one left to clean up the search party’s mess.
But in the end, the crisis was averted, the cage was checked and re-checked before bedtime, and Squeak was safe and sound.
The aftermath…
Last night, when my husband put our daughter to bed, she wanted to sing him a song. It went a little something like this: “I love Squeak and Daddy so much…blah blah blah.” Whatever!
And then of course my husband continues to milk this for all it’s worth when he says: “You know, people throw around the word hero a lot these days and most of the time it’s not appropriate…but this time, it really is.”
Geez, give me a break!
So, after we learned that our daughter’s beloved hamster, Squeak, was missing from his cage, we spent two hours of our Friday night TEARING. OUR. HOUSE. APART! And to be perfectly honest, we weren’t just looking for a frightened hamster-in-hiding, we were searching for…how do I put this gently…hamster remnants??? Okay, so that may not have been “gently” but come on, we have three cats!
Of course while we were searching every corner of the house with a hysterical 9 year-old girl, we had to constantly remind her that this was a “rescue mission, NOT a recovery mission” (even though we had serious doubts).
Things I learned:
Don’t underestimate the bond between a nine-year-old girl and her hamster.
We have eight flashlights in the house, but only one that actually works.
My kids are slobs! I found a dirty bowl in a toy box, an empty Coke can in a drawer, miscellaneous missing socks virtually everywhere, candy wrappers in the couches, and more dust bunnies than I care to recall. Ever! (Okay, that last part may be my fault, but I’ll let them take the fall anyway.)
Our cats are lazy because that tiny little hamster made it down a flight of stairs, down a hallway, and into the laundry room right next to their food dishes.
ALL of us were searching, but dad gets to be the hero since HE was the one who ultimately found the cowering hamster. (Even though he wouldn’t actually touch the thing.)
Mom is the one left to clean up the search party’s mess.
But in the end, the crisis was averted, the cage was checked and re-checked before bedtime, and Squeak was safe and sound.
The aftermath…
Last night, when my husband put our daughter to bed, she wanted to sing him a song. It went a little something like this: “I love Squeak and Daddy so much…blah blah blah.” Whatever!
And then of course my husband continues to milk this for all it’s worth when he says: “You know, people throw around the word hero a lot these days and most of the time it’s not appropriate…but this time, it really is.”
Geez, give me a break!
Comments
glad squeaks was found safe and sound! :)
Glad that it remained a rescue mission and that Squeak was safe and sound.
Also, anyone else reminded of Jay talking about being a 'hero'? Just re-read TBF, so it's still on my mind!
Have a great day!
Cara