No Psycho Killer!

When you have a child, something in you changes. You become more aware of the world around you. You see things through your child's eyes.

When Jude spilled his Goldfish and Guppy on the floor, the kid got so upset he puked. He was inconsolable for about 5 minutes. He really thought he had killed the fish. Seeing the fish on the ground flopping around really upset him. I felt really bad for the kid at the time. Afterwards, Husband and I were discussing just how upset Jude had gotten. I tried to talk about it with Jude the next day, and he was still upset about the incident. This is what I said to him:

"Come here, sweet heart. Mommy needs to talk to you about yesterday," I told him.
He came near and said, "Yes, mommy?"
"How did the plastic bag with the fish break yesterday? Were you touching it after I asked you not to?" I asked him.
"I don't want to talk about it mommy...I'm not ready," he said.
"Not ready?" I asked. "Not ready about what?" I asked him again.
"I'm not ready to talk about it yet," he said. And he walked away crying.

He knew that his actions could have directly resulted in the death of his 2 new fish. The idea that he could have killed his fish was just too much for the poor kid. It really, truly made him sad to discuss it.

After that, I was proud. I was proud that my son had realized his actions could directly affect something else. It was a horrible moment for him, but a great teaching moment for me, as a parent.

Reflecting back on it now, I have learned that my kid has a conscience. At 3 years old, he has exhibited understanding for life itself. And, the idea that he possibly could have killed something, was more than he could handle.

From my college days in Psychology 101, I remember that most Psycho killers killed animals as children..... I guess I don't have to worry about that with Jude considering the poor kid puked when he thought he had killed his fish.

Just another day in Weenie's World!