Attachment

The first conversation came about two months ago, as my son played with a stuffed dog in his room.

"I'm going to have my own doggy one day," he told me.

Knowing his love for animals, I wasn't surprised that he would want a pet. I was a little taken aback, but also touched, by how strongly he knew he wanted his own dog.

Still, we have resisted, knowing the work and responsibility of having a dog in the house, and knowing that a 4-year-old boy really isn't ready to taken on any kind of role with raising a dog. And I know I'm not ready to do it by myself.

Over the weekend, we picked up a gopher tortoise, not as a pet, but as an extension of my husband's environmental work. The tortoise was losing his burrow to a new housing development and he came to live with us for a couple of days until my husband could finalize all the state paperwork for its permanent relocation.

My little boy had little interaction with the reptile. A few moments to satisfy his curiosity and to make sure that the turtle had some food in his little box.

With our Thanksgiving vacation, the turtle needed to be relocated. We never realized what trauma this would cause.

Just before leaving work Monday night, I called the house to check if we needed any groceries. I could hear my son bawling in the back.

My Darling Redhead explained: "He's upset because the turtle is gone."

A little while later, I came home and a sad face greeted me at the garage door. He waited until I closed my car door.

"Mommy, the turtle is gone and I'm missing the turtle." His face erupted in tears again.

I did what I could to comfort him and I tried to explain why the turtle had to go. He understood, I think but still had a little trouble accepting it.