some of lifes lessons are hard

[gaberdeen]

So the chicks I got for my 8yr old daughter were doing fine. That is until last night. One of them looked sick and couldn't stand on it's own. My poor daughter cried all the way to school even though I tried to reassure her that this was natures way and that sometimes chicks do not survive. When I got home the chick looked worse so I had to put the little thing out of its agony. Now I find myself shedding tears. Ah dam aren't men suppose to be strong I'm 42 for pete's sake. Any suggestions on how others of you have dealt with chick losses and young ones.

Thanks
Gary

 

[farmerjill]

I agree, losing pets is hard for children and parents. We have lots of animals, and my girls (7 & 9) have experienced quite a bit of loss. I think it's very important to let them be sad, and not try to talk them out of their sadness or cheer them up prematurely.

I actually think it's valuable for children to learn to come to terms with death, as it's one of the most difficult experiences for all of us. I don't think death ever becomes easy for children to take (or at least, I don't think it ought to) but I think they become familiar with the emotions, and they learn how to "ride" it. I also think it's good for our children to see us cry when an animal dies, so they can see that we all feel sad....

Depending on the circumstances, we'll often have a funeral, or I'll talk about how I feel, and how I felt when I was a child and a pet died. Sometimes with the baby animals, it's useful to talk about how they might have suffered if they'd lived, and that an early death can sometimes be merciful.

Usually by the next day, provided we've all had a chance to feel sad, we're pretty much over it.

Good luck.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Haven't had to so it with chicks but reptiles, amphibians, fish and small rodents. Every child is different. You'll have to judge for yourself what works best with yours. We talked to our kids about life expectency and nature's way. We had a corner of the back yard that was a pet's graveyard and let the kids take part in the ceremony. They need to go through a grieving process. We tried to not make that big a deal of it so they could better accept it as part of life, which it really is, yet acknowledge what had happened.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Quote:
Awww, Gary.

That just shows that you're human and have a soft heart.

Sending extra

for your daughter! I have a 7 year old DD and she still gets upset at the memory of her EE chick she lost last year after just 2 days of owning it.

 

[aidenbaby]

We had a chick that died a few days ago (euthanized). We knew that she was most likely going to die when we got her but I wanted to fight for her life. She lasted from Tuesday until Saturday (had been severely injured when we got her). When one of the kids asked where she was, I explained that she had died and was now running around in chick heaven. As far as their questions, I suggest that you choose age appropriate answers. For us, that was our answer as the oldest child I watch is 6 and he is really the only one that noticed she was gone.

 

[m2wandc]

Anytime you feel your child's pain & sadness it's a beautiful thing! A man with some emotional feelings is nice!!! Enjoy and celebrate your human side!!!

Loosing anything sucks! Life is about life and death...

 

[wegotchickens]

Any time you or your child don't mourn the loss of a pet, that's the part I would worry about....

 

[gaberdeen]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. Might just have to order some chicks from my pet chicken.

Thanks,
Gary