It’s somber day for my daughter and I as we mourn the loss of our beloved cat. We both knew that this day was coming. We adopted Faith a little over a year ago and she was already fourteen years old. But it doesn’t matter how much you prepare for the loss of a pet, it’s never easy. Pets quickly become a part of the family and this cat won our hearts with her affection and personality.
My daughter has the desire to become a veterinarian and has a thirst for knowledge when it comes to animals. Before leaving for school she was explaining to me what would happen in Faith’s final moments. She asked me not to do anything until she got home. We both knew that the cat was coming up on her final hours and she did pass away shortly after I took my daughter to school.
As a father, I instinctively wanted to protect my little girl from coming home to find her cat lying lifeless but I had to respect her wishes. I also had to understand that my little girl isn’t a little girl anymore, she is a young adult. She is weeks away from turning seventeen and I can’t protect her from life’s harsh realities forever. She knows what she can and can’t handle. And she knows that she would rather say her final goodbye than spend the rest of her life wishing she had.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about instincts and how they can lead us down the wrong path. Today, my instincts were telling me to place my own judgment above my daughters and defy her wishes. There are some parents who would argue that would be in her best interests. However, at some point, I have to stop doing that. I have to give her the strength and confidence she needs to make it on her own It occurred to me, just how appropriate it was that the cat’s name was Faith. My daughter needs to have faith in her judgment, faith in herself. As for me, I am losing faith in my instincts. Or, at the very least, no longer following them blindly.
Photo courtesy OeilDeNuit @ sxc.hu
Sorry to hear of the loss of Faith!
I think you did the right thing of honoring your daughters wishes. How did she handle it when she got home?
[...] Comments « Losing Faith [...]
Thank you Don. She handled it very well. She reminded me that Faith was old when we took her in and we gave her a good home. Of course, losing a pet is sad and she cried. But she was thankful that she got some closure by being a part of the “funeral”.