Jason Aldean, I was so excited to see you in concert. I had my night planned. Dinner, drinks, relaxation. A night of fun was way overdue. As I scurried to drop off the kids and get us all ready, I get a call from my husband.
“I have some bad news.”
Figured he was off to work and was going to miss the concert.
No, WORSE. He then tells me, our dog was hit and killed.
If you know me, you know how much I love animals. My dogs, all 3 ½ of them (that’s a whole other post) are part of my family.
We dropped the kids off to my in-laws’ house before the concert as we fought back the tears. I took it hard. Throughout the whole concert, all I wanted to do was enjoy myself, but the guilt was almost more than I could stand. I felt so bad for not telling my kids the news.
I enjoyed an adult beverage hoping it would ease my mind, it didn’t. My heart was heavy, I was sad. I loved my sweet girl, I was heartbroken.
What hurt even more, was knowing I had to tell my daughters…
Riding home from the concert, I could NOT wait to pick them up. How was I going to tell them? What was I going to say? My nerves were making me crazy.
The whole ride home I was a complete mess, I recall saying “being a parent is hard”, while the tears poured out my eyes… It was almost a cathartic cry; I needed it.
Yes, I know. It’s “just a dog”. But, these “dogs” are our family.
We finally scooped them up, sat them down and delivered the news. My oldest was hysterical, her reaction was not what I expected. My younger daughter was visibly upset, but not like her sister.
Being a parent really is the hardest job in the world. There is nothing to prepare you for the life you are about to have when you become a parent. It is hard, sometimes unbearable. Breaking the hearts of my children that night, it was no doubt, one of my hardest days as a parent.
I know that in the bigger picture, losing a dog will not end the world, but when you are six and seven years old, this is heartbreaking. Seeing the pain in my children’s eyes was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to endure.
Parenting has SO many highs, but it sure has its fair share of lows.
