A parent writes in asking for advice about their son. They say that they let their son, 6, watch his cousin’s pet snake eat a mouse, and the boy’s mom is “livid.”
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A member of the community asks:
“My wife is mad I let my 6-year-old watch a snake eat: Advice?
So my niece has a pet snake and I let my son watch the snake eat his food (mice). My wife is livid with me over it, but I don’t really think I did anything wrong. Not trying to push her feelings aside, but also don’t think it’s wrong. I’m conflicted. What’s everyone’s opinion on this? My son is 6.”
– Mamas Uncut Community Member
Community Advice for This Parent Whose Wife Is Mad They Let Their 6-Year-Old Son Watch a Snake Eat a Mouse
To see what advice the Mamas Uncut Facebook community has for this mom in need, read the comments of the post embedded below.
Advice Summary
The community offered this mom in need a lot of great advice. Read some of their responses below.
“Teach them about the cycle of life. Including death. Why hide it? Explore the feelings it brings up (if any). We had a snake and none of the kids minded that it ate mice.”
“While I would not want to sit and watch a snake eat, I would never shelter my child form life. I just hope you explained to him exactly what was happening and didn’t make it out to be some gory death scene. As long as you used it as a teaching moment, I don’t see the problem.”
“Lmao. My 2Day – and 5-year-olds help me feed my snakes… My 5-year-old is learning to hunt and hopefully will make her first kill next year. Stop being so sensitive people.”
“My daughter likes to collect worms. Well, one day she accidentally stepped on one. Totally killed it. She was upset, but I explained to her that yes the worm is dead, but it will be taken by a mommy bird who will feed it to her babies and that’s the circle of life. She was happy. Not because the worm was dead, but she knew it would feed a baby bird. All animals have to eat. Most eat each other. That’s nature.”
“It’s not something I would personally want to see, but it’s not like you forced your child to watch lol. It’s natural.”
“Oh, good lord…..Perfect time to teach him the circle of life.”
“Nothing wrong with it at all exposing kids to the real world set them up for less shock when they are older. Kids are the most resilient of us all.”
“I mean, taking your spouse’s feelings into account is important. If you have beliefs on a subject, you really should have talked them through and come to a compromise first. It’s a respect thing.
That being said, it’s a snake eating. You can’t shelter them from the world forever.”
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