Explaining the oil disaster to a 5 year old

[onestepforward]

I ran across this and thought it was very touching:

http://www.chron.com/channel/momhouston/commons/suburbangoddess.html?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a91aa556c-84ff-49e8-8d63-02b331e071fbPost%3a8e77e438-34d8-47f9-949e-c2e3d9f4d2bd

The year of death continues to take it's toll on my kid.

I was sitting in front of the computer reading the news on the Gulf Coast Oil Spill; I have a vested interest since so much of my family makes a living on the Gulf. But the images that truly disurbed me were the amazing photographs from AP photographer Charlie Riedel. His capture of the coastal birds covered in oil, their eyes glazed over with a sickly white haze, is enough to make anyone ill.

As my eyes welled up with tears, Alex noticed.

"Mommy, what's wrong with that bird?"

"It's covered in oil."

"Why is it covered in oil?"

"Because there was a big accident of the coast, close to where Gee and Grandpa live, and the oil is coming out of the ground and pouring into the ocean."

"Why don't they just stop the oil?"

Why, indeed?

She was quiet for a few moments, climbing into my lap as I tried to explain to her what was happening. I know it's all too big for a five-year old to comprehend, but I believe that if we foster a love of the earth in our children at a younger age, then we might have a fighting chance of saving this before we make a bigger mess of it. She looked at me with trepidition:

"Is that bird going to die?"

"I don't know."

"Are other animals going to die?"

"Yes, baby. But there are lots of good people out there who are doing their best to save them."

"Can we go help?"

My heart soared at that statement... I felt as if I'd done something right as a mother for once; she saw outside of her toddler world and displayed empathy.

As she gets older, the questions are getting harder. Since that evening, she's asked me every day, "Did that bird die?"

"I don't know, Alex."

"If it didn't, can we keep it?"

I smile. What else can I do?

[BeFree]

1. What I would say...

..You are a special person for caring about an animal that you don't even know.
That regard for the least of these among you will give you good returns in your life.

But realize that there are some people who don't care like you do.
They are not necessarily bad people, but watch out for them because they don't care about you and they may just treat you as badly this bird has been 'treated'.

May you live long and prosper, little one.

[scheming daemons]

3. You would actually say "May you live long an prosper" to a 5-year-old?

LOL.

Somebody doesn't have any kids.
:rofl:

[BeFree]

5. So what do you say?

Die young and broke?

The kid has great qualities, I hope the kid lives long and prospers.

[scheming daemons]

6. No... I just mean that it is phrasing that doesn't sound directed to a five year old

They aren't used to hearing from Spock.

[Oregone]

2. Sure, right after Im done explaining Global Warming and how our sun will turn into a White Dwarf

Damn. Give the kid some warm milk and send him to the playground. Can't children live in a fantasy for a few years, without knowing that the human race is headed towards extinction one way or another, bringing all other life down along with it?

[stuntcat]

4. Yes kid, that bird did die.

And thousands more. I've heard most birds who are cleaned die anyway. Cleaning them just makes people feel better, feel like they're doing something good.

A drop of oil spread on an egg by a parent's oiled feather will kill the egg, so many of the millions of birds about to be born will be killed too, this being the nesting season for their parents.

How anyone could give the next 90 years to their innocent child is just beyond me.

Of course the precious little darlings are happy playing. Oh don't rain on their sweet parade with this sort of news! :eyes:

[CountAllVotes]

7. sadly you are right

cleaning the birds just prolongs the inevitable with an extended agonizing death.

The birds will want to return to where they came from. They are relocating some of them to Tampa, Florida and they'll try to return to the gulf if they can make it.

Sad as all hell. :(

I don't know what I'd say to a 5 year old child but the OP did a good job I think.

:kick: