What Are They Thinking?

Yesterday at the park, Vanessa and Ethan and I were playing in the vicinity of two young moms with five little kids. One was a toddler, and the others ranged from two to four.

Three little boys were chasing a family of baby squirrels. Their mommy said,

"I know they're fun to chase, but don't touch them...they might have rabies. It could hurt and you might get sick!"

FUN?

FUN TO CHASE?

Are we encouraging cruelty to animals now?

What I wanted to hear was,

"STOP THAT! How would you feel if somebody way bigger than you was chasing you?! You'd be scared! The squirrels are scared! Here are some crackers (peanuts, bread crusts). Let's put them here and watch them eat."

That is how you teach kids that other creatures have feelings, and can feel fear and pain. This mom might have been trying to appeal to her child's self-interest, but I think she was totally missing the point, and missed a valuable opportunity to teach an important lesson.

Later, the kids were throwing leaves and small twigs at the squirrels. The mom, again:

"Don't throw stuff up in the air. You might get dirt in your eyes."

How about,

"Stop throwing things at the squirrels!"

When they were packing up to leave, the other mom asked her three-year-old girl,

"We need to leave in a few minutes, is that OK with you?"

IS THAT OK WITH YOU?

She was ASKING her child's permission to leave!

How messed up is that?

We are raising a generation of kids who have no empathy and think they are entitled to special treatment.

This is how.