I'm REALLY upset! :(

This is going to be a long one, so I suggest getting a cup of coffee, please forgive me.


Okay, this woman I work with has a four year old nefew. She came into work today calmly telling us this story about her sister taking him to a niegbors farm to get a baby chick for Easter. Already, I'm a little upset, because I'm thinking "Do these people not know that one day this chick will be a full grown chicken? What kind of peson would buy a four year old a pet chicken?"

Anyway, it gets worse. She then describes (while laughing, making me more upset) how her nefew picked up a baby chick and squashed it in his hand! I was in shock!! Worse yet, they gave him another one and he did the same thing!! I couldn't say anything, I just looked at her.

AND then, she says , in the same breath mind you, that she's going to get him a kitten!!:eek: That was it! I told her she would be insane to buy him a kitty after the way he treated them chicks. I asked her why her sister let him do that and her response was that she didn't think it was a big deal!:mad: That was all I could take. I walked away and cried in the bathroom.:(

To make a long story short (kind of) everyone is saying I'm overreacting and that it's "just a chicken". They don't understand that if they don't teach the boy any better, he's going to abuse the kitten too!

I know that there's nothing more I can do. But I wanted to post this because I know everyone here knows where I'm comming from with this and no one will make fun of me for being sad about it.

Thanks for reading.

That is among the most disgusting things I have ever heard.

Things like this are one of the biggest reasons I can't stand kids. (or the parents in many cases)

Could you talk to her about your concerns?

I swear I've said this a hundred times today....people are jerks! I would have been outraged!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A four year old should NEVER have a kitten!!!!!!!!!! :mad:

:mad: That makes me so angry! :mad: I HATE it when people get a pet "for the kids" do they honestly believe a child can handle the responsibility of a pet? If a family gets a pet, the parents should be aware that they will most likely be taking care of the pet. Obviously the parents in this situation are just about as responsible as the child for letting him do that. Poor chicks. :( I pray they don't get a kitten.

That is sick :mad:

If they get any animals and that little boy hurts the animals in any way CALL ANIMAL CONTROL!
That is really disgusting that the parents of the 4 year old would let the kid do that:mad:

:mad: IM ASHAMED TO BE HUMAN :mad:

agh... that is so discusting. :( and now a kitten... and what are they thinking? just a chicken? :mad: :( poor sweeties. I feel horrible for that kitten.

that is so disgusting!!!!! It's hard to say what I would have done in the same situation but I would like to think I would have told her she is nuts to get her kid a pet...he so obviously can't handle a simple chicken, think what he will do to a kitten...uuuggghhh!!!! This was very much her fault as she obviously didn't think to talk to the kid beforehand.... :mad:

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I HATE SOME PEOPLE! How can ANYONE be so stupid to hand a newborn baby chick to a 4 year old child??? I used to have chicks. They are SUCH delicate, cute, and fuzzy babies. Worst of all they are BABIES! Only a few days old, so tiny and so fragile, and you hand them over to a 4 year old, and when he mushes one you give him another?!?!!! People are SO stupid! It hurts even more because I had 8 chicks a couple of years back and I loved them so much. They were the CUTEST things in the world. They were so delicate though. Just touching their little feet made it feel like they would break. They are babies with growing bones and everything. How anyone could be so merciless by giving them to an insensible child is beyond my understanding. Poor chicks. :( Stupid humans!

That makes me soo pissed. There is lil chicks in the news paper for free. I wouldent get one because my dog would kill it. How could that mnother let her child have a pet at such a young age. You should have freaked, that is a live animal. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: poor chicks

How insane :(.

Well, no one is talking to me at work now.... oh well.

I do wish I didn't get so mad, then maybe I could have tried to talk some sense into her.:( She's still talking to my mom though, so maybe she'll listen to her.

WolfChan, I know where you're comming from, but just remember it's not the kids, fault. A child has to be taught that an animal is a living thing or else they treat it like one of thier toys. My 8 year old helps me take care of the ferrets and he has a pet turtle that he takes excellent care of. So all kids aren't like that, it all depends on thier parents.

As for that woman, I'm hoping she abandons the idea of getting a kitten. Last year, she wanted to get him a puppy and never did. So I'm praying this will be the same way.

Doesn't help the chicks any though.:(

Another reason why I pefer animals to people, anyday.

yes wolfchan your comments why u hate kids, kinda upset me a little, i also understand where u are coming from too, and u did add or at least the parents.
It is the parents fault , children learn from them as we all know, look at the mothers attitude, like its only a chicken.
Now a 4 year old can have a kitten, they are old enough to learn how to treat it, its up to the parents to do so, and obviously in this case it is not going to happen.
Both my children have been raised to respect animals, to treat them kindly and to remember they have feelings.
I can all understand your passion when it comes to cruelty to animals i share it , it upsets me greatly, i do hope u all have just as much passion when it comes to the cruelty to children also being done out there.
Life is awful sometimes.
:( :(

One thing that I did in a difficult situation like this is to write the person a letter - that way things are said fairly and no arguement is started. Or print out this page and give that to them.

It's a horrible situation and I'm sorry that you have been put in it, I'm also horrified at the treatment you are receiving from your collegues.

A life is a life be it a chick or a horse. A 4 year old is not old enough to handle the responsibility of a pet, especially not one which is a baby itself.

Perhaps you could suggest she goes to the shelter and gets an calm older cat (which the child should not be able to hurt) explain how the kitten will probably bite and scratch him and ruin their furniture etc etc etc etc

Good luck

I can't believe that mother is so ignorant :mad: Poor chicks, I hope she doesn't get that boy a kitten :(

Quote:

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Originally posted by carole

Now a 4 year old can have a kitten, they are old enough to learn how to treat it, its up to the parents to do so, and obviously in this case it is not going to happen.

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I don't think that any four year old is responsble enough to take on the care of a kitten. The PARENTS yes in some cases, but how is a four year old going to know how to litter-train a cat?

My boyfriend's five year old nephew was taught how to act around animals, and he still isn't allowed near mine. His mother trusts him with her African Grey, but he can't touch any of my animals. I had started to change my mind on this, but when my mouse peed on him the kid THREW MY MOUSE DOWN.

Kids + Pets = BAD. Almost without exception.

My comment came mostly from working in a pet store and daily observing kids banging on the cages, screaming at the animals, or being rough with them when I take them out, even after being reprimanded by parents and myself. People also seem to think that they can leave their kids in the pet store while they go shopping. WTF?! I'm not a baby sitter!

Yesterday a kid tried to push over a cage full of feeder mice. He darn near succeeded too! Once a mother was holding her kid up and encouraging him to feed potato chips to the Amazon Parrot. I asked her to leave and not to return.

My mother taught me early on how to interact with animals, and since I always loved them so much she had a lot of teaching to do. ^_^ She still did not get me a pet of my own until I was eleven. I am not glad for that, because even at eleven I was not as good of a pet owner as I should have been.

now wolfchan and others you mis-interpreted what i was trying to say, maybe i should be clearer, i did not mean a kid of 4 can be totally responsible for kitten on its own obviously it needs the supervision of the parents, i meant they can learn to interact with the pet and help care for it with the parents being the caretaker.
Well yes some kids do things like u mentioned in the pet store, but donot tar all kids with the same brush. thats just ignorance on your part, i am sure there are many other mothers and fathers out there who will back me up here, i was raised on a farm and i learned to interact with all sorts of animals at a very young age and i have passed it on to my own children.
saying kids and pets= BAD is simply not always true, and a very biased and unfair comment., and very judgemental.
I am just as horrified as you are about the chicken and the kitten, i really hope she does not get this child a kitten, but its the parent you should be mad at not the child, they are only 4 and learn what they live.