It Was Too Much
She slumped to the floor as she clutched the picture with a shaky hand. Seeing her husband and his first dog, she could barely hold back her tears.
When Mika began acting strangely, she was unsure of the cause. As the barking continued, she became frustrated. This was not what she expected.
One Tragic Night
Suddenly, Tammy’s tears began to flow freely as she recalled how it all started. Jake lost control of his vehicle while returning from a fishing trip.
Rainwater filled the road during the cold night. An accident had occurred when he lost control of his car and tumbled over a cliff. In the end, he didn’t make it home.
She Didn’t Know What To Do
Upon receiving the call, Tammy froze. In spite of what she heard, she didn’t want to believe it. The hospital must have made some kind of mistake, she hoped.
However, once she had seen him, she could not deny it. Tammy was terrified and devastated. Is it possible for her to tell their daughter that her father will not return home?
Just A Child
Sally was just four years old at the time. In the following days, she spent the majority of her time asking about her father, as she was far too young to understand what her mother was trying to tell her.
There was nothing Tammy could do. Her best efforts had been made to explain. The problem was broader than a lack of understanding of what was said, however. It was obvious to Sally that her daddy would not be returning home. Despite her best efforts, she refused to believe it.
The Effects
Sally stopped asking questions after a few days, and that was the beginning of the problems. In response to the news, the young girl became quiet, too quiet.
Sally’s behavior changed completely once she learned the news. Her little girl wasn’t as happy as she once was. Her only desire was to see her daddy. She was crushed.
Sleepless Nights
Approximately a week after near-total silence, a new symptom emerged. Sally began experiencing night terrors. Around 10 pm to 12 am is when it usually happens.
Her screams and tears would break out at the same time. The first few nights were like that. She stopped sleeping entirely after that.
Groggy Mornings
Trying to help her daughter sleep, Tammy spent most of the night up. Her grogginess was just as bad as the four-year-old’s when she awoke.
The stories Tammy told were always entertaining. It wasn’t uncommon for her to watch cartoons. The young girl was unable to fall asleep despite everything she tried. What was going on with her? What could her mother do to help her?
It Had To Be Trauma
Her father’s death must have caused Sally a great deal of trauma, Tammy reasoned. It turned out to be true. What can her mother do about it?
Tammy had been thinking about her little problem for days, but couldn’t come up with an answer. When a child suffers from such a serious, how does one help?
What Could She Do To Help?
In a bind, Tammy turned to the internet for help. To find out how people coped with childhood traumas, she searched online.
Despite her best efforts, she was once again left empty-handed. She didn’t know where to start or where to end because everyone was talking about so many different topics.
Confiding In Her Friend
When Tammy thought she was about to break down, she turned to her best friend, Amanda. As she confided in her childhood friend, she hoped her friend would help her.
What is Amanda’s role in helping? In this regard, she was no more clueless than her friend. Was she?
A Trained Child Psychologist
Amanda was a trained child psychologist, and she had experienced many cases such as this one during her career. She had seen all the methods the internet had mentioned, and she knew which ones might work.
Amanda listened as her friend spoke, and when Tammy was done, Amanda told her what she would’ve done if she were in her position.
Her Advice
Amanda told Tammy that the best thing she could do was get Sally a pet. She also suggested that the pet should be a dog.
That way, Sally would be able to express what she felt to someone who would do nothing but listen. And the bond she would form with the dog would fill the gap she now had in her heart.
Considering It
Tammy thanked her friend for the advice and went home. But that didn’t mean that she didn’t take the advice to heart.
Before Jake died, he had the same discussion with Tammy. He thought that Sally was old enough to take on the responsibility and that she would enjoy the company. But was it really the right thing to do?
That Weekend
Tammy spent a whole week thinking about it, and when Saturday morning came, her mind was made up. She made her daughter some breakfast and broke the news while they were eating.
For the first time in weeks, Sally actually smiled. She was delighted by the gift and wanted to hit the road, and that was exactly what they did. But their mission wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
Not Happy
Tammy and Sally went to the four animal shelters that were situated near their home, and they looked at all the dogs that were available. But Sally wasn’t happy with any of them.
Tammy didn’t understand why that was. At first, she thought it was because Sally wanted a puppy. But when they found puppies, she turned them down too. Why was that?
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