"In October, my neighbor's 16-year-old daughter ran over my family's beloved cat. She was driving irresponsibly and texting, and she was horrified by what she'd done. I have tried not hating her, and I've tried telling myself that there's always a risk that a cat allowed outdoors will be hit by a car. But I'm angry, and the best thing for me now is to keep my distance from the girl and her family."
"No, it is not awful of you to have no interest in comforting the girl who killed your cat while she was texting and driving. The fact that she feels guilty and horrified is not actually a bad thing. It's an appropriate response to realizing that your carelessness and inattention led to the unnecessary death of someone else's pet, and her parents should encourage her to channel those feelings into productive changes to how she drives, rather than an unhelpful spiral of self-loathing."
A neighborhood teen driving while texting ran over a family's beloved cat, leaving the owner angry and wanting distance. The teen feels guilt and horror after the accident. Guilt in that situation is an appropriate response and should be redirected into safer driving habits rather than a spiral of self-loathing. Parental responsibility includes encouraging productive behavioral change and managing their child's emotional recovery. The cat owner is entitled to maintain emotional boundaries and decline to manage the teen's guilt. A direct, firm refusal to be the family's emotional manager is presented as an acceptable course of action.
Read at Slate Magazine
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