Little kids love fish. It’s just like a known fact, right? I’m pretty sure that every kid in America has had at least one fish, including me. In fact I have had more fish than you can even count. However, I think I set the record for the fastest time to kill your new pet fish. Whether it’s winning a fish at the fair or buying one a Pet Smart; a goldfish or a betta fish, you name it and I have probably killed it.

It all began in second grade when I got my very first pet fish. It was a betta fish that I got from PetSmart. It was a purplish black color and I was in love with that fish. The first night I had it I made sure to feed and clean the tank really good, however that next morning I found my fish floating at the top of the tank. My seven year old self was crushed because I loved that fish and I had killed it (even though I had had it for less than 24 hours). I thought I was such a horrible person for killing that fish. So a few days later my mom took me back to PetSmart to get a new fish. This time I got a goldfish (hoping I would have better luck with a different kind of fish). I named him Troy because High School Musical was my favorite movie and I basically thought Troy Bolton was my boyfriend. Now the good news is, that I kept Troy alive for more than 24 hours! The second day is where the problems came. Troy died too. This time I was even more upset about Troy dying. Now my brothers started making fun of me because I couldn’t keep a fish alive.

At this point I was so frustrated because all I wanted was a pet fish not a dead fish floating at the top of the water. I wanted to get another fish but my mom wouldn’t let me(probably for the best). After weeks of annoying her about getting a new pet, I got a hamster named Lily. I ended up keeping Lily alive for over 2 years! (which is very good considering my history with pets) The only reason that Lily stayed alive for so long was because my mom fed her everyday and gave her water. Also, hamsters  stay alive longer than fish (or I just got lucky). As you can see, I have had my fair share of bad pet memories, however I kept trying and now I still have Lily buried in my backyard. Even though my pet fish memories are a little weird, I think that it is always important to never give up and stay positive even when things don’t go your way. I will always remember this story first of all because it’s funny but second of all it reminds me that things always turn out alright in the end and to not get too worked up over something.