Brad on Sentiment

After arriving home from his first day of first grade this afternoon, Brad and I set out to make his "All About Me" poster. There was a section to put a picture of your pets. I printed two pictures: one of our current pet, a black lab named Selah. The other was of a dog we had to give away several years ago. Her name was Gracie, and she was sweet and cute ... but she had a neighborhood shoe collection that couldn't be curbed. We had to give her to a family who could more readily afford her fetishes.

Even though Brad was tiny when we had Gracie, he's never forgotten her ... and never quite forgiven us for giving her away. So, because he loved her so, I printed a picture of her to go on the poster. When I showed it to him, instead of wanting to put it on the poster, he got a very sad face and plopped down in the chair.
I said, "Brad, Gracie will always be your pet, even if she lives on a farm somewhere else. Won't it make you feel good to tell your friends at school about her?"
Brad said, "No, it won't ... and in fact, now I feel sad and mad. Thanks a lot Mom ... congratulations!"
It was so hard not to start laughing at the way he threw his hands out to stress the word ... but I maintained a straight face.
I replied, "Brad, I am so sorry that seeing her picture made you feel sad. I would never do something to purposefully make you feel sad. I am really sorry."
He looked up at me with a rather "put out" look on his face as he tartly retorted, "Well ... sorry dut'n sweeten my tea!"

Oh Heavens.