One Fish, Two Fish…

So, your child just returned home from her latest birthday party and the gody bag happens to contain a little “Nemo!” You know, a little fish to go along with the “Under the Sea” theme. You aren’t expecting this, and don’t have the time or resources to care for it with your child, what do you do?

Another situation along these same lines, is that your child is having an “Under the Sea” theme and one of the party guests brings a fish as a birthday gift.

Back in the day, I would go to a carnival and off of a penny toss, I would win a little goldfish. It was always cool, but we didn’t know much about fish and my parents weren’t very fussed by them. We slipped him into a bowl of chlorinated tap water, fed him a few flecks, and enjoyed him for a few days before he croaked….it never took very long either. Those were the days when it was cool, and parents were Ok with a fish being around even if they weren’t into animals.

Times have definitely changed and a lot of people see fish, even a little goldfish, a huge deal and responsibility. So, when your kid either received one as a goody bag or as a birthday present, it can not only be unwelcome but also a “touchy” subject as how do you give a fish back?

The best bet is honesty. If your kid receives it in a goody bag or as a birthday gift, you can explain to your child that you can’t keep the fish as you have a big vacation coming up and can’t leave it alone or you don’t have food to feed the fish. If you feel that your child is very sad about this, you can do something special together with your kid to replace the fish as goody or present.

You can then return the fish to the giver and explain kindly, but honestly, that you cannot keep the fish due to personal circumstance. Hopefully, no offense will be taken. It won’t be so easy, but may be necessary in this situation.

In order to avoid this potential situation, it would be a good idea tonot give pets as goodies or presents. If you are throwing an ocean or under the sea themes, and want to give away a fish as a goody or give it as a present, you may want to check that this is OK with all of the parents before ultimately following through.