Usually, I don't reply to 'anonymous' messages left for me... my feeling is that if someone has something to say to me, they can identify themselves.
However, since the hermit crab tales created a stir, I will address it.
Obviously, those offended do not know me, b/c if you did, you would know that...
1) I would never refer to myself as a 'wonderful mother'.
2) Telling the story was my way of making light of a bad situation. The discovery of the crabs was upsetting to us all.
I offered to bury them, kids said no and wanted to put them 'in the water' back where they belonged. Canal is separated by thick trees and a fence. Did I know, at the time, that this would be a scene? In hindsight, we should have buried them.
I will say that the reactions were harsh. I mean, did I give my kids a B.B. gun and teach them to shoot puppies? No - I did not. The child who sprayed them is only 3 years old. Were his actions malicious? Come now...
I take full responsibility for the actions of my children. It is impossible to keep an eye on them 24/7 and this happened in a moment when I wasn't standing right there. Does this make me a terrible person? I don't think so.
I understand that children need to be taught how to care for animals and by not ever allowing pets in our home - I am probably doing them an injustice later in life. I can count on one hand the number of times my kids have been close enough to a dog to pet it. They just aren't exposed.
I have long realized that we are just too busy to have ANY pets. Trust me, we are not going to get any more hermit crabs. We don't have any pets, never have, never will.
I didn't seek out the crabs - they both just arrived. It was a brief lesson in keeping a pet that my whole family regrets.
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3 comments:
By using children as defensife reason, it's not going to make you feel good, eventually. Some harsh reaction happen because some people have same condition with you too, and they decide to keep pet with them. And they are capable to make it right. If you can, at least a bit, have heart, you could try to "save" the crab even from your own children. many people can and they still doing it. Go find these people on any hermit crab communities / forum (or other pet lovers).
It's a good thing, you finally decide not getting any pet. I'm the one who posted at 2nd comment (2nd anonymous).
I had 2 hermit crabs which naked and they are still fine until now (i give them some emergency help by checking what's wrong and give them extra shells, bath them, and put them back inside bigger shell carefully). Peace.
as addition, think this, is it worth to teach something to your children by "sacrificing" / wasting life living animals ? I can guide them to care for animals and until they really can, i will take care all of my pet by myself and show it to my kids for a while with supervision.
who keeps hermit crabs in a glass bowl? thats low
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