Fail
Monday was rough. Very rough. We had scheduled to take D to the vet late in the afternoon. The
hours dragged and the day seemed endless. Unsure how to explain the
loss to Hudson I did what I tend to do, and researched relentlessly. We
had explained to Hudson in the previous weeks that D was very sick, and
so we had to be very gentle with her and let her rest. And so, he had
been telling us "D sick dog." That, he understood.
After much research, I decided that before she left I would let him tell her goodbye, give her hugs and kisses and tell him that she was going bye-bye. And so, we did just that. Hudson gave D kiss after kiss, and hug after hug, repeating "Bye-Bye D" and "la la love." It was heartbreaking, but I believed this would bring some closure.
Since that time, Hudson, like Dan and I, has had a bit of a hard time. He yells out for her when we come into the house, surprised she isn't there to greet us. He beckons her to his bed for nap and at bedtime to kiss him goodnight and we hear him singing on the monitor "La La Love D" and talking to her. We have continued to acknowledge that we miss D and that we love her, but have tried to keep it simple. Overall, I was proud of how I had dealt with the situation.
Well, that is until this morning.
April and May are typically a difficult month for us. There are several conferences Dan must attend which means longer and more frequent travel. While he typically can make calls on clients in a day trip or staying over one night, these conference trips are stretched out over many days for meetings and events. Add to that the fact that they are closely spaced and Dan has been gone the greater part of the last month.
While we miss Dan terribly when he is away, I try to be a good sport about him leaving and try to make goodbyes as painless as possible so as not to upset the Hud. And so, this morning after some quality time as a family complete with McDonald's breakfast full of pancake syrup and Dan sneaking Hudson Coke, (thank you, Barks!) Dan loaded up and we started to say our goodbyes.
As Dan said he had to go and reached for a hug, I looked to Hudson smiling, "Daddy has to go bye-bye..." Hudson immediately burst into tears, running to the door and dropping to the floor. "Daddy, no bye-bye! D bye-bye! Nooooooo!!!!"
Apparently, I wasn't quite clear enough that daddy was coming back. Just when I think I have this parenting thing down . . .
Off to go try to repair some of the damage I've done and try to convince my son I'm not the grim reaper.
After much research, I decided that before she left I would let him tell her goodbye, give her hugs and kisses and tell him that she was going bye-bye. And so, we did just that. Hudson gave D kiss after kiss, and hug after hug, repeating "Bye-Bye D" and "la la love." It was heartbreaking, but I believed this would bring some closure.
Since that time, Hudson, like Dan and I, has had a bit of a hard time. He yells out for her when we come into the house, surprised she isn't there to greet us. He beckons her to his bed for nap and at bedtime to kiss him goodnight and we hear him singing on the monitor "La La Love D" and talking to her. We have continued to acknowledge that we miss D and that we love her, but have tried to keep it simple. Overall, I was proud of how I had dealt with the situation.
Well, that is until this morning.
April and May are typically a difficult month for us. There are several conferences Dan must attend which means longer and more frequent travel. While he typically can make calls on clients in a day trip or staying over one night, these conference trips are stretched out over many days for meetings and events. Add to that the fact that they are closely spaced and Dan has been gone the greater part of the last month.
While we miss Dan terribly when he is away, I try to be a good sport about him leaving and try to make goodbyes as painless as possible so as not to upset the Hud. And so, this morning after some quality time as a family complete with McDonald's breakfast full of pancake syrup and Dan sneaking Hudson Coke, (thank you, Barks!) Dan loaded up and we started to say our goodbyes.
As Dan said he had to go and reached for a hug, I looked to Hudson smiling, "Daddy has to go bye-bye..." Hudson immediately burst into tears, running to the door and dropping to the floor. "Daddy, no bye-bye! D bye-bye! Nooooooo!!!!"
Apparently, I wasn't quite clear enough that daddy was coming back. Just when I think I have this parenting thing down . . .
Off to go try to repair some of the damage I've done and try to convince my son I'm not the grim reaper.
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