It takes a village. Or maybe a newsletter?
Each month, we'll bring the best stories from parents on raising their CBC Kids. | | | BY JOSEPH TITO | Hope. It’s one of those words parents hold onto like a life jacket in a sea full of snack requests, spilled juice and never-ending bedtime stories. But I never truly got how magical hope could be until the day we met Sparkles, our first (and, well, very glittery) goldfish.
You see, my daughters, Stella and Mia, had been begging — pleading — for a pet. I figured, how hard could a fish be?
So, we brought home Sparkles with big smiles and a bag of fish food. In my head, it was going to be relaxing: Sparkles gliding through the water while the girls watched peacefully.
Yeah, right. | | | The very day Sparkles came home, the girls decided his fishbowl needed some serious redecorating. Stella dumped an entire tube of glitter into the bowl, and Mia cheered like it was the best idea ever.
Suddenly, Sparkles was swimming around in what looked like an underwater disco ball. “Oh, great, just what every fish dreams of — a glitter explosion,” I said, trying not to panic as bits of glitter swirled everywhere.
Then came the cleanup operation. I didn't spend hours delicately rescuing Sparkles from his sparkly nightmare — nope. Instead, I flailed around with a tiny fish net, desperately trying to scoop out glitter while muttering things like, “Who even makes this much glitter?”
Meanwhile, the girls twirled around the room, convinced Sparkles was living his best, shiniest life. | | | "Parenting, I realized, isn’t about keeping everything perfect or avoiding sadness." | | | I changed the water twice, hoping to save our poor, disco-loving fish, but two days later, I woke up to frantic shouts. “Papa, Sparkles isn’t moving!”
I stumbled into the living room and, sure enough, there he was, belly-up. My hope for an easy pet experience? Flushed down the drain, just like Sparkles was about to be. Wonderful. Our day was kicking off with a fish funeral.
So there we were, digging a tiny hole in the backyard. Stella and Mia sobbed while I did my best to deliver a mini eulogy about Sparkles going to “sparkly fish heaven.” It wasn’t the greatest speech I’d ever given, but hey, it got the job done.
Then, as the tears started to dry up, something kind of magical happened. Stella turned to Mia and whispered, “Maybe one day, Sparkles will come back as a magic fish.”
It was pure, hopeful kid logic, the kind that makes you pause and smile. Only kids can dream up stuff like that when everything feels so upside down. | | | That night, they decided to wish on a star for Sparkles to come back. Sure, I knew that wasn’t exactly possible, but as they squeezed their eyes shut and whispered their wishes, even I felt a little glimmer of hope.
Parenting, I realized, isn’t about keeping everything perfect or avoiding sadness. It’s about letting kids believe in something bigger and brighter, even when things don’t work out quite right.
Two weeks later, we did get another fish — Sparkles 2.0, as the girls called him. This time, we kept the glitter far, far away. Every so often, Mia asks, “Do you think Sparkles is happy in fish heaven?” And I always smile and say, “Oh, I bet he’s having the glitteriest party ever.”
Hope. It’s sparkly, messy and sometimes ridiculous. But it’s the thing that keeps us moving forward, one glitter-covered adventure (or misadventure) at a time. | | |  | | Joseph Tito is a proud dad to twin daughters, Stella and Mia, and the creative mind behind The Dad Diaries. Through his authentic storytelling, Joseph inspires readers by showcasing the joys, challenges and beauty of diverse families. As an advocate for inclusivity and love, he aims to normalize LGBTQ+ families and celebrate what truly makes a family: love. When he’s not writing, Joseph enjoys cooking gluten-free meals and making cherished memories with his daughters. | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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