Little Miss was highly upset when we got back from our Bushveld break and the silkworm moth (that she had named Squishy when it was still a silkworm) was dead. It unfortunately had no fellow moths, and there are no eggs.
(Shew! Wiping tears of relief because we do not have another batch of silkworms in our future! And we don't have to raid other people's trees in the future! )
Little Miss cried, and we had to tell her that the moth had only a very short lifespan, and that it has ended.
We promised that we would bury it in the garden.
She made a tombstone for Squishy!
Rest in peace, Squishy!
This small ritual reminded me of how important it is to not hide death and dying from children, but to confront it in a respectful manner! We could have hid the shoe box with the dead moth, but it does helps her to learn to deal with loss! She made up her own ritual and decided on her own "tombstone"!
Rituals are very important!
How do you help your children understand death and dying?
Related post
- One more mouth to feed: a silk worm
