Preschooler is very sad about animals eating animals - BTDT?

[Sasharna]

My 3.5 yo is troubled by the idea that animals kill and eat other animals. He knows that humans eat animals as well, but I think that idea is just too much for him to handle right now and he is avoiding that subject completely, focusing instead on the animal kingdom. For example, he doesn't like it when birds eat bugs from our lawn because "the bugs want to go home to their mommies!" Sometimes he even cries about it.

My instinct is just to answer his questions frankly and empathize with him. I think it will all work out fine. I'm just wondering how this sort of thing has played out for those of you who have had preschoolers linger on this idea for a bit. Are there any picture books or anything else that you found particularly helpful?

TIA!

[chamomeleon]

We had to approach this subject delicately as well, because we are vegan and don't eat animals at all! I think it was a bit of a shock to my son to learn that some animals do eat other animals. We just tried to be very matter-of-fact about it, and when he asks why, we typically say something like, "Well, birds like to eat bugs because that is the kind of food that makes bird bodies strong and healthy." My son is also 3.5, and to him most things are very black/white, good guy/bad guy. It is difficult to explain to him that just because an animal eats other animals doesn't make it "bad."

Is he into dinosaurs at all? My DS is just coming out of his intense dino-phase, and I think the emphasis on meat-eating and plant-eating dinosaurs helped him to understand that division throughout the animal kingdom. Maybe that would be easier for your son to take, since all the dinosaurs are extinct? Or maybe that's just opening a whole other can of worms!

[Murihiku]

Hey, I'm nearing 40 and I'm still very sad about it!!

It sounds like your child is a gentle and sensitive soul and you're responding well to him.

[nextcommercial]

I'm 45 and I can't deal with it either.

I can't watch animal planet because of that.

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by Sasharna

My 3.5 yo is troubled by the idea that animals kill and eat other animals. He knows that humans eat animals as well, but I think that idea is just too much for him to handle right now and he is avoiding that subject completely, focusing instead on the animal kingdom. For example, he doesn't like it when birds eat bugs from our lawn because "the bugs want to go home to their mommies!" Sometimes he even cries about it.

My instinct is just to answer his questions frankly and empathize with him. I think it will all work out fine. I'm just wondering how this sort of thing has played out for those of you who have had preschoolers linger on this idea for a bit. Are there any picture books or anything else that you found particularly helpful?

TIA!

We are on the cusp of this. I am just waiting for DS to connect the dots.

The bolded quote could have come out of my son's mouth. Right now, everything centers around little creatures going home to "their mommies and/or daddies"

I foresee periods of tears and confusion when he realizes what is going on.