• OttoVonNoob@lemmy.ca
    2·
    9 months ago

    Incase you ever have an event like this. Grain of salt though, I’m a youth worker but dont have a degree in child psychology. You ask the child to imagine how the animal feels. Even if the child does not have empathy, the imagine part forces their brain to try to understand. If it persists also seeking professional help never hurts.

    • thefartographer@lemm.ee
      0·
      9 months ago

      I used to love doing these types of things as a child and I was terrified of dismemberment in movies. One day, my dad told me that what I see in movies is what the frogs, fish, and bugs that I’d torment (essentially anything that didn’t make terrifying noises) would endure. That was a massive turning point in my life.

      • dudinax@programming.dev
        0·
        9 months ago

        When I was four I stomped on ants for fun. Then one day my big sister rushed over and buried one of them and put a marker on its grave.

        I still stomped on them, but kept thinking about what she did and I eventually stopped.

  • SigmarStern@discuss.tchncs.de
    0·
    9 months ago

    I drowned some ants when I was a little kid in our backyard because I was scared of them and also curious. My neighbor told me to think about what I did. I was mortified. I’m a vegan now.

    Kids need to learn that kind of empathy. Although I don’t think I would have ever thought about about ripping limbs from frogs.