Q5: Life With Charley – New York

In chapter 4, Sherry talks about Charley’s dog Buddy.

We sat Charley down later that afternoon and explained to him that Buddy was an outside dog, a born runner, so we were finding him a new home where he could romp in the great outdoors.  

What we expected was protest. Crying. Stomping. Yelling. What we got was no reaction. Not a word. Like he was oblivious. I don’t know if it’s because Charley didn’t understand what we were telling him, or if he didn’t have the vocabulary to tell us off. Either way, it was as if he had some built-in anti-explosive device. One thing for sure, something shielded him from the bad news, because he never mentioned his missing pup. Until two years later. 

I was decorating a cake in the kitchen when out of nowhere, Charley walked in and stuck his finger into the frosting. He swiped it and stuck it in his mouth, then looked up at me and said, “Mommy, where’s Buddy?” You could have fit a basketball in my mouth.  P. 65

Some say pets are good for children with a disability.  Did your child have a pet?  Did they connect?

She mentions the issue of “delayed grief.”  Have you ever experienced this with your child?

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