My 4 year old daughter and I were hanging out when I saw a post on Nextdoor about a woman being chased very close to our neighborhood by (sounded like symtoms of) a rabid fox. So I tell my daughter hey—be careful if you’re outside if you see a sick looking animal. Come inside, don’t try to go near it. “Why?” So I tell her sometimes animals get rabies. She is a lot like me so suddenly the thirst for this mysterious “rabies” knowledge is STRONG. She wanted to see a video about it so I showed her a couple of rabid cats and raccoons on YouTube...nothing gruesome. Well now she is suspicious of our dog and cats. She’s talking to her cronies at school about rabies, and feels a little less safe in the world. I told her yesterday that I’m pushing 40 and have never seen a rabid animal/am just trying to help her know how to stay safe IF.Two other examples—I asked her a few months ago what she would do if a stranger said they had a truck full of candy, get inside. She said she would go with them (a little extra excited at the thought.). So I talked with her about stranger danger and keeping safe/not keeping secrets even if adults tell you to, etc. I hate having these discussions because I know they are dark and confusing, but how do I teach my daughter how to navigate these real issues that exist without scaring the shit out of her? Should I sugarcoat serious issues? Sorry for jumping around and thanks for any input. Also please share if you know of great kids books on this stuff. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/33M9JQd
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