What's the best way to tell a 7 year old her hamster died?

[snafu]

I think my first acknowledgment of my own mortality was when I was around five and my dad took me out rabbit hunting. I thought about it a lot but I was OK.

[snafu]

.. It's just unnecessarily traumatic to their little world.....

The loss of the animal in its self is the most traumatic event. The child is confused and sad. Explaining death would help them over the turmoil not hinder.

[Guest sheik-yerbouti]

Hey Phender, did Birdo make it, or has she gone to heaven ?

[timesjoke]

What's your suggestion then? lie? What age do you decide to explain reality to your kids? Do you let your kids know they're eating dead animals or do you tell them we picked the meat off the tree? If their old enough to ask, their old enough to be told.

 

When I was much younger I remember reading somewhere a definition that has stuck with me my entire life:

 

"A person is a representation of his lifetime experiences, and how he dealt with each of them."

 

How we decide to face events is important to how we develop as a person. If we play games with the reality of death and try to pretend it is not reality with children, that will change who our children become as well.

 

I am not saying that we need to sit our 3 year olds down and talk about Darfur, but we should allow them the ability to see small realities like the eventual end of all life.

[hugo]

I guess I missed out never having a pet that croaked until I was 17. Probably why I am such an asshole today.

 

The Bachelor And His Cat

 

A bachelor who lived at home with his mother and pet cat went on a trip to Europe. Before he left he told his best friend to inform him of any emergencies.

 

A few days after his departure, his cat climbed up on the roof, fell off and was killed. His friend immediately wired him with the message: "Your cat died!"

 

In a few hours he was back home, having cut short his trip in grief and anger at his friend, whom he told "Why didn't you break the news to me gradually? You know how close I was to my cat! You could have sent a message 'Your cat climbed up on the roof today', and the next day you could've written, 'Your cat fell off the roof' and let me down slowly that he died."

 

After a quick memorial service, the bachelor left again to continue his trip. A few days later he returned to his hotel and there was a message waiting for him from his friend. It read, "Your mother climbed up on the roof today."