"I'm not going to tell you that you can't squish or flush a bug if you can't handle trapping and releasing it (although, full disclosure, I am a trap/release outdoors gal for all except mosquitos and cockroaches), but I'm not sure that persuading your 4-year-old to be cool with killing any living creature (even when it's because it "scares the shit out of" their mother) is your best path forward as a parent."
"If she happens to catch you in the act of bug-squishing, why not apologize, tell her that you know it's awful to kill a living creature, but bugs freak you out-you just can't help it? In other words, be honest with her. Instead of trying to toughen up your child (let's face it, the world will do that soon enough), be discreet, and when discretion fails, be truthful and regretful."
Spiders and bugs are entering the home as the weather warms, and a parent who fears insects kills them on sight while a four-year-old child becomes upset by the killings. The parent is too afraid to carry invaders outside and cannot always rely on a partner. Recommended actions include doing any killing when the sensitive child is not watching, apologizing and expressing regret if the child witnesses it, and being honest about fear-driven actions. Where possible, use trap-and-release outdoors except for mosquitoes and cockroaches, and work to bugproof the home.
Read at Slate Magazine
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