I’ve never hunted, nor fished, nor been apart of the killing/processing of any kind of meat.
My 6yo is asking me how animals end up on our plate. I tend to over-explain and I think that wouldn’t be healthy in this situation.
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I have an almost 5 year old and we have a small hobby farm, with lots of chickens. He asked to watch me kill and process one of the roosters for meat. I explained what would happen in really simple terms — “I will use a sharp knife to cut the rooster’s neck, all his blood will drain out, and then he will be dead, forever” — before hand and gave him lots of opportunities to opt out or even just cover his eyes. He stood back while I did the killing, but didn’t look away, and helped me with the plucking/gutting/etc.
Now when we visit other farms or eat meat that we didn’t process ourselves, he gets how it works and will ask me questions about how it’s the same or different for other animals. I think kids can handle the basics of where food comes from, and for me it’s been a good reminder of why I prefer to eat animals that only had one bad day. I know it’s different for “farm kids” but it’s definitely possible for a kid to know some details without it causing an existential crisis.
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