I found these frogs (African Dwarf Frogs), in a cute Plexiglas terrarium at a Hallmark store, of all places. It was Andrew’s 11th birthday which I thought made this discovery a serendipitous no-brainer. The only questions were, which color rocks and what size frogs?
At the cash register, armed with wrapping paper (my original reason for going into the store) and a frog box equipped with blue rocks and two medium-sized amphibians, I realized that Adrienne would be more than jealous if I didn’t get her a box, too. I briefly debated the new family rule of “only the birthday boy gets presents on his birthday” but decided that despite the fact that I’d made the rule just a few hours before, I’d have to disregard before the idea even had a chance to get off the ground. The frogs were so cool and Adrienne is the animal lover; Adrienne is the fan of all things unique. I couldn’t leave her out.
So, I returned to the cash register with a second box: pink rocks, a bamboo stalk, and two small frogs. Perfect. Adrienne could keep one box for herself and give the other to Andrew at the party that would start in just a few hours. I was happy.
However, at home, the frogs got a lukewarm reception. Adrienne said she preferred turtles if I was going to allow pets that live in or near water in the house. Ultimately, she said she wanted a hamster if I was of the inclination to add animals to the already existing three cats. She stared at the frogs who briefly darted from one side of the eight inch square box to the other, but then left the room—off to something else.
At his party, Andrew smiled at the gift, but the Wii game from his friend, Matthew and the iTunes gift card from a group of girls in his class, trumped the frogs. For the next few hours, the frog box sat in the middle of the dining room table amidst torn wrapping paper and empty Gatorade bottles, forgotten and left behind in favor of the NERF gun war taking place in the basement.
I resigned myself to the fact that I would probably end up caring for the frogs and began cleaning up the table.
However, when Adrienne’s friend Nina arrived late to the party, she found the small square aquatic frog homes extremely cool. Her expression of “awesome” changed the status of the new pets and the kids have been doting over them ever since, happily feeding them every Wednesday and Sunday.
But this is not a happy frog story and the turning point came when our cat, Greystripe discovered them.
Although the boxes have a lid (with a small hole in the top) and sit up on a shelf, Greystripe has been plotting a play date since a few hours after the birthday party when the boxes found their way into the kids’ rooms.
Andrew’s box is placed high enough out of the way, that one frog’s lap across the “pool” doesn’t catch the cat’s eye. However, Adrienne’s box is another story. She’s been aware that Greystripe is interested in the sudden, quick movements the frogs make. And for nearly a month she’d been successful in keeping her frog box in a place that didn’t attract attention. But she likes to move the box around and over the weekend when cleaning her room, she chose a new spot—one that although is high off the ground, could be accessible to a cat motivated by curiosity.
Needless to say, the cat finally got to the frog box (at some undetermined time) yesterday. Adrienne discovered it around 8pm when she came into her room bundled in a robe after her shower. “Greystripe got my frogs!” echoed throughout the house.
The small box lay on its side on the carpet, a layer of pink rocks out before it, with a limp bamboo stalk some few yards to the side of it. And no frogs in site.
I automatically assumed the frogs had been a late afternoon snack for the cat, and so I approached the situation as a clean up NOT a rescue. And who knew, these little creatures were at first snubbed? The reaction from both kids was one of deep sadness and regret.
The stories Adrienne was already weaving as she picked up pink rocks made the frogs seem as if they’d been with us forever. The eulogy she was creating was dramatic, but sweet.
AND THEN: we discovered a frog on the carpet, hiding near a pile of books, on his back, gasping for breath.
The original home, damaged from its fall off the shelf, couldn’t be used again. Instead, I filled a cereal bowl with water, added some of the rocks and the bamboo and plopped the frog in. He darted from side to side then sank to the bottom, no doubt for a thankful meditation on being rescued from the vast water-less world of Adrienne’s room.
Today, I’ll be headed back over to Hallmark, with the intention of doing what the frog box instructions instruct not to do: add a third frog to the perfection of a two frog, frog box. BUT… duty calls.
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