I'm a terrible Mom!

[Mark_and_Nicole]

Early this morning I found a furry little catepiller while feeding the chickens. *Now, my one son loves catepillers, so I picked it up and brought it to the house. He was thrilled! *DS made a bed for it, and wouldn't let any one else handle it. "Too cute!", *he kept saying, while grasping it in his hand. After a few hours, I could see the little thing starting *to go downhill, so I asked DS to put it outside for it to eat and go home. *I said it was going to turn into a beautiful butterfly one day. I brought DS outside to watch me set it free, but he screamed and cried, and ran away. I brought DS inside, and he's gone to bed sobbing. I feel terrible! But it would be worse if it was lost in the house or died, wouldn't it? *Maybe I'll find another one soon! *I just want the kids *to have some respect for the harmless creatures, too, that's all. *Was I wrong?

Nicole

[Toad_Sticker]

last sunday there was one crawling across my parents driveway.
We called our 18 month old daughter over to look at the fuzzy worm.
Squish she thought it was a bug to step on.
we can't protect thier feelings from everything.
cheer up
TS

[rideaway]

I think it is important for our children to learn that wild animals can't be kept captive and live, and that includes catepillars, frogs, etc...keep 'em for a couple hours and then let them free. Your little one will recover, and start learning all the important things about loving and respecting our world... :)

[hillbilly_mom]

We let DD catch bugs. She has her own special jar with holes poked in the top. She also knows that she has to let them go so that they can be free. By teaching your son to let them go, after watching them for a little while, shows him that bugs, catapillers, etc are meant to be free outside. And like you said, it would be better for it to be outside than for it to die inside and him seeing it dead.

We built DD an ant farm, so that she can have some bugs to keep in the house. We used some old plexiglass we had around the house, along with some wood scraps. We used gasket material to keep the ants in, and as a glue to hold the "glass" to the wood, even though we used a router to have a groove for the glass to sit in. DS put a row of legos in for the "ground". We went out and caught a bunch of ants and after they settled down we watch them build their little world. Ant farms aren't that expensive to buy, but we wanted the kids to make one together as an experience for one of their homeschool lessons. DS (17) in planning and using tools and DD (6) in researching the information on how to care for the ants. The ants are doing great and sit on the dining room table every day as we do our schoolwork.

I think you are a great mom to want to teach your son. He will get over the fact that you had to set the cattapiller free. The more often you do that, the faster he will learn that they are to be set free after you study them. :)

[Mark_and_Nicole]

Thanks guys! Well, he did ask about it a couple more times, but had forgotten about it by the time dinner was ready. And he has learned to be a little more gentle; the last one he had, he kept stretching out to watch it walk (still survived until after bedtime, when I put it outside). My other sons were fascinated to know it was just a baby, too, and it would one day be something completely different. But they're more interested in bigger pets. I know it's just a bug, but that's about were I started my interest in animals, too, so I can see a lot of myself in him. I got some cute video of him with his "pet".

Nicole

[Mysticdream44]

No, your not a bad mom by any means, children have to learn respect for life of creatures more helpless than themselves in some way, and let the catipillar go was one way. So cheer up ;)

[EarthMother]

If that's the worst thing you every do to cause your child grief then you are an awsome woman. I have 8, 7 are adopted, and I hurt their feelings when I don't even know what I did. Hang in there you'll make it and they will love you either way. EarthMother

[walls0stone]

No, your not a bad mom...I will say I had quite a collection of wild critters. Just about everything Tom Sawyer could want. I had some toads when I was a teenager and even took them to college. I had them in fish tank and feed them earth worms and crickeets. Just had to keep up with them like any pet. I remember they were named Indiana..and Casy.. Jones. HA!

thanks for reminding me :)

[CountryKitty]

You did fine. He'll be OK, and he'll grow up to understand wild things are meant to be out in the wild, finging their own food and mates and raising more just like themselves.
(Small children don't understand separation the way we do...he'll develop that understanding as time goes on and as you continue to show him that separation is natural.)