Kids...the dog died.
Well, we told the girls about our dog, Coffee.
"Girls, we've got something to tell you. It's about Coffee...Uhmm...she, well she..."
"Died" they finished my awkward sentence.
"Yeah" I said softly.
I expected the next question to be...How? But no. Instead my 8 year old looked at the ground and replied "She's in Heaven now." They took it well. Better than I did actually. I was glad they didn't ask. My in-laws have been putting some pressure on me to lie.
Don't tell them she drowned in the pool- they'll never want to swim in there again!
I was ready to say "she died in her sleep."
I'm an awful liar.
I teach my kids they can always tell me the truth, even if it makes me sad. Shouldn't I give them the same respect? I think we underestimate the strength of children.
Really, what would you have done? Truth or lie?
posted by Kathy at 10:11 AM
2 Comments:
Kathy,
First of all, I'm sorry your dog died.
Great blog. I have a daughter, and she is only 3, but she asks difficult questions (sometimes not even understanding that they are difficult or why). I really try hard to tell her the truth, but I also kind of balance that against what she is ready to hear. I guess that's the gist of your question. In your exact same situation, if my daughter asked me HOW the dog died, I would first say: "I'd rather not say." OK...that NEVER works. So then I would try the "I'd like to tell you later" route and tell her when she is ready (even if it is years later).
Then, and maybe this makes me a bad person, then I would lie.
You are right. Kids are more resilient than we usually give them credit for. My mom had to tell me something REALLY diffucult when I was 8, and she did it, and she was completely candid, and I was fine, but I still fall down in the keep your innocence as long as you can camp.
Keep up the good work.
Duf
10:01 AM
Kathy,
First of all, I'm sorry your dog died.
Great blog. I have a daughter, and she is only 3, but she asks difficult questions (sometimes not even understanding that they are difficult or why). I really try hard to tell her the truth, but I also kind of balance that against what she is ready to hear. I guess that's the gist of your question. In your exact same situation, if my daughter asked me HOW the dog died, I would first say: "I'd rather not say." OK...that NEVER works. So then I would try the "I'd like to tell you later" route and tell her when she is ready (even if it is years later).
Then, and maybe this makes me a bad person, then I would lie.
You are right. Kids are more resilient than we usually give them credit for. My mom had to tell me something REALLY diffucult when I was 8, and she did it, and she was completely candid, and I was fine, but I still fall down in the keep your innocence as long as you can camp.
Keep up the good work.
Duf
10:02 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home