People and animals
August 25, 2007 8:22 pm Current EventsA recent news item has been Atlant Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick’s indictment and eventual confession to charges of dog fighting and animal cruelty. This is a great subject to discuss with kids, as many kids follow professional sports and hold athletes as role models.
Ask your kids, what do you think should happen to someone who tortures animals? Are animals’ lives as important as human lives? Should someone be considered a hero or role model just because he or she is a great athlete, great artist, or really good at one particular thing? What should make someone a good role model?
Be sure to follow up their answers with open-ended questions like, why do you think that? And make sure you let your children answer first before giving your opinion… you’ll learn a lot more about what they’re really thinking.
My son, Scott, answered that he though Michael Vick should be evacuated (upon further questioning we realized he meant executed) becuase “there’s not a lot worse than someone torturing an animal who can’t take care of or defend itself.”
