should i tell him or just replace it and hope he doesnt notice
2006-09-14 03:58:34 · 14 answers · asked by A G 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
Unless he is under 4, tell him it died, and you take him to choose a new one. Kids have to know that things don't live for ever (only people do - in one place or the other!).
The point is: if you want him to trust you and what you say for the rest of his life, you have to start now being trustworthy. Never lie to your kids - in any form. Kids want to count on you for their stability in life. It matters!!!
2006-09-14 04:13:35 · answer #1 · answered by Irishgal 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you know your son better then any Yahoo on Yahoo.
My personal belief is that you should tell him so he understands life and how important it is. Is it good for him to think that Gold Fish live forever?
Anyhow...my parents tried to hide the fact my pet bird died...and when I found out I was upset. I think it was important for me to grieve and understand its a part of life.
I have found that children tend to understand more then us Adults when it comes to these things. My parents back yard has a pet cemetery...and one of the burials was a fish!! Maybe you could do that and then introduce him to a more advanced aquarium so he can understand more about fish.
Just my thoughts
2006-09-14 11:12:28 · answer #2 · answered by K.O. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How old is your son? If he could grasp the concept, a small funeral for his pet may be appropriate. After a short while, perhaps the purchase of another pet. Children need to be gently exposed to to the cold hard facts of life & death. Skirting around the truth is not always the smartest approach.
2006-09-14 11:08:53 · answer #3 · answered by cdnponygirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How old is your son? And how attached was he to the goldfish?No matter how old he is, though, he might see the difference, and be upset that you'd try to trick him. Treat this as a life lesson for him. Break it to him gently, and let him know that everyone dies, but goldfish live much shorter lives than people, so we need to expect that they won't live as long, no matter how attached we are to them.
2006-09-14 11:03:51 · answer #4 · answered by cross-stitch kelly 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends. Are you ready to have the discussion about when and how things die? Is he old enough yet to understand? I think we should learn about life and death, and not to lie to children, but if he's extremely young and/or you don't think he's ready to handle the discussion, then I'd buy a fish and wait till the right time.
2006-09-14 11:03:40 · answer #5 · answered by Astro 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends how old he is and how well you think he would handle it. My husband got our daughter a gold fish at a carnival when she was 3 and it died four days later. We actually had a little funeral for it, and burried it in the back yard. We used to opportunity to tell her that the fish's spirit was in heaven with God. She has always remembered that, and a year later, when one of my good friends died, she said to me, "It's ok Mommy, his spirit is in heaven with God, like my fish!" It was so sweet!
Good luck with this.
2006-09-14 11:08:14 · answer #6 · answered by ItsJustMe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on how old your son is and how attatched he was. My son had a fish when he was 4 and it died and he was ok with the whole process and we got a new one.
2006-09-14 11:01:48 · answer #7 · answered by Tommysgirl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell him. If he is old enough to understand that the gold fish is his pet then he is old enough to understand that things die. Maybe even let him have a little goodbye funeral. Then get a new fish.
2006-09-14 11:51:10 · answer #8 · answered by Scott 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on age of your son. If he is a little guy, then replace it.
2006-09-14 11:07:07 · answer #9 · answered by kitkat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what's the harm in replacing it? The only thing that made me sad as a child, when my fish died, was if my mother didn't buy me a new one.
2006-09-14 11:02:09 · answer #10 · answered by Hawkeye 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋