Tonight I went babysitting.
The kids I was caring for had found some salamanders. The salamanders were sitting on the kitchen table in a bowl of dirt. The oldest girl asked, "What do salamanders eat? Can you look it up on the internet?" (she's 6).
"Sure" I said, as I proceeded to pull out my iphone and google 'what do salamanders eat'. Within minutes this six year old's world was about to fall apart.
I cheerfully report, "It says that they eat worms, snails, spiders, and centipedes."
The six year old starts running for the table crying, "There are worms in that bowl!!!! I love worms! I want the salamanders to eat food, not other animals!"
I stop her just in time to save dirt, salamanders, and worms from falling all over the kitchen floor. She's visibly devastated and mad at me for ironically saving these "animals" lives from the wrath of her little internal world that is quickly unraveling. Maybe I didn't do the right thing, maybe I should have let it all fall to the floor.
Next thing I know, she's running to her bedroom. She's on the top bunk bawling her heart out, repeating over and over again, "I want them to eat food not other animals!"
Her younger sister (a 4 year old) rushes to her side to ease her pain. "It's ok ____, animals have to eat other animals to live, that's how they live. it's ok!" I couldn't have said it better myself, but this does not calm the six year old's tears.
I babble on about how "all animals are born of the earth, live a life, and then return back to earth". I don't know if this was the right thing to say.
She continues to cry. After a few more minutes her tears subside, she lifts her head from the pillow and says, "it's ok, I learned that __?__ have to eat seals and that they always give thanks to the seals before they eat them."
Again, the 4 year old chimes in and says, "yeah, animals have to eat other animals to live."
The six year old says, "yeah, we eat fish."
Then all was well and playing with dolls and fairies resumed.
