Well, it was bound to happen. Sometimes in life difficult decisions have to be made. Consequently, last week Vicky and I, plus Tyler and Brittany, who are Oliver and Luca’s parents, made a most heart-wrenching decision to send Oliver, age four, and Luca, age two, to rehab for a month in hopes of curing their strawberry addiction. It was troublesome, but something Vicky and I, the grandparents, along with Britt and Ty, felt had to be done for the benefit of the two boys and we all agree that we’re doing them a favor. This all started just over a month ago, in late May, when we realized we couldn’t keep the boys out of the strawberry patch and from picking strawberries that weren’t ripe. We tried so hard to explain to them that strawberries have to be red before they’re good to eat, not white. Ollie, we think, knew better, but neither boy could help themselves. They would pick strawberries that were as white as the whitest cloud in the sky and eat them. “No, boys, you can’t do that! You have to wait a couple more days before they turn red.” You couldn’t turn your back for one second and they would be back at the strawberry patch eyeing their next victim. We all know strawberries can lead to other fruit addictions, such as raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, all of which also grow in Vicky’s garden. These two amazing boys deserve better, so that’s why the decision was made to send them to rehab.
The rehab facility is nearby which allows for us to visit them daily. They’re doing well. They receive healthy meals and are treated with respect. They can’t wait to get back home, and we can’t wait for the day when they’ll be able to sleep in their own beds again with their favorite stuffies. Ollie, who is very articulate, has expressed to us that he now understands better why strawberries have to be red before they are picked. We think he knew all along, it’s just as I’ve already said, that he couldn’t help himself. The same goes for Luca, although he is only two, he will eat anything, whether it’s ripe or not. He is most definitely food-driven and Ollie is trying very hard to make his little brother understand you don’t eat fruit until it is ripe. At any rate, they will be home soon, and we’ll have a big bowl of delicious ripe red strawberries waiting for them upon their return. Can’t wait.
Photo of grandkids by K.B. Fugitt
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