Frankie's Response

So he came home and I told him about the cat. I told him that it was okay to be sad and it was okay if he wasn't sad. He hadn't known the cat very well at all. He said that was true. He was always sad when an animal died, but it was worse if you were close to them.

Then he said, "What I'm really sad about is that I can't find my knight. Do you know where it is? I know it isn't in my room. This is how I searched it: first..."

I listened and then told him that I didn't know where it was.

Later he came and said that he asked Brian to help him look but Brian wouldn't help. I said that Brian was very sad about the cat and now was a bad time to ask him. Frankie allowed that that was true, but then wondered how he could look to see if he left it in Brian's room if Brian wouldn't help. I said he would just have to wait. He started to get emotional about how important this toy was and how he couldn't replace it. I said I understood, and then I didn't say anything else.

A few minutes later he came into the kitchen, "'Hubby' said he was going to get the computer after school. When do you think he will be back?"

"Well, school got out just a little bit ago. It will take half an hour to drive each way and it might take 10 or minutes for someone at the store to have time to help him."

"So he should be home any time now, huh?"

Sigh.

So...being the theorizing woman I am, here are my thoughts:
1. He doesn't know how to process his grief about the death of our cat.
2. He feels uncomfortable being not sad around people who are sad. He doesn't know how to cope with that situation so he needs very much to create a different situation -- one in which his needs are the biggest in the room and other people respond to him.
3. He really feels bad about losing his knight, so bad in fact that the only thing that is more important is getting that computer back.

I'm leaning towards #2.