If you're a parent would you think this was ridiculous if I pulled you aside after school for this?

If it was a one off, and as you dealt with it in school, I wouldn’t tell the parents. Most kids squash a bug or 2. If it carries on then yes tell them.
I would think it a bit strange if a teacher or member of staff came up to me to tell me my child had squashed a bug on a single occasion.

We should not kill for fun. He needs to know this and his parents should be aware.

When my eldest was this age he used to painstakingly remove snails from the path outside our house lest they be trod on. He even kept a few outside and fed them lettuce. That’s his nature though and he’s growing up to be full of empathy and compassion and I’m proud of him for it.

If this was my child I would want to know. Particularly as it followed a lesson on nature and living creatures. Yes, kids will be kids but given the context then it suggests an act of cruelty and defiance. You don’t have to make a big deal about it just say that you were disappointed it happened in the immediate aftermath of a lesson.

Not really - there’s no nutritional need to eat meat in 2024. It’s for enjoyment more than anything.

Oh my god I am absolutely terrified of creepy crawlies. If my kid stepped on a bug I would actually not be that surprised because they've seen me asking my husband to kill spiders etc. If I'm feeling brave, they get squished if they're in my house crawling about. Sorry. I'm not a psychopath by any means 🤣

I would probably expect a teacher to explain that it was cruel to kill other creatures. Id be surprised if they mentioned it to me. Surely they have bigger fish to fry??? (Bad analogy🤣)

I showed this thread to DP. He said as a child/teenager they used to use a mini magnifying glass to direct sunlight and burn insects. He also used to meet with other boys from other areas and have regular fights.
He's not been admitted to Broadmoor. Yet.

I’d hope you wouldn’t make too big a deal of this. It’s the only way to deal with lily bugs.

I don't think you can see the telescope for looking down the wrong end of it.

Why did the child step on the bug?

Is the child raised in a family that regards bugs as nasty?
Is the child questioning the lesson that bugs are an essential part of the eco-system?
Is the child a psychopath?
Is the lesson teaching the right values?
Does the child want to see that the world will end if the child steps on an ant?
Do a percentage of children all go out and squish bugs following this lesson?

Child was told off. Child was not questioned.

So it seems to be that the child exhibited anti-social, destructive behaviour and was reprimanded and recieved a punishment.

But the child has not been questioned by a suitably trained or experienced adult.

So now "naive, inexperienced" adult is trying to find out if she's discovered a psychopath in the making. Maybe go speak to trained qualified child psychologists instead of turning to the village mob armed with pitchforks?

Equally, the person I know who is most passionate about nature and animals has said some things about humans that are just cruel - so unbelievably cruel I wouldn’t even type them here. She can also be, quite honestly, a right bitch in her interactions with people. So I’m not sure about a direct correlation between bug love and being a lovely individual generally.

I work in a nursery and we teach the children about kind hands all the time. As part of this, we think about the living environment. I always say you are bigger than it (the bug) just leave it be, it won't eat you. I probably wouldn't mention the bug squashing to a parent unless there had been other incidents showing they were unkind.

I think compassion is something nurtured not learnt.

Good for you for calling this kid out. Compassion is learned at an early age, 5/6 years old is old enough to know right from wrong in terms if being 'mean'. If the parent moans, then you know the kid is being brought up by adults who are not setting good example.

Why killing for food is ok and killing a big is not ok? Sheep 🐑 r cow has feelings and brain and nervous system. An insect is likely have an average lifespan very short. And if looking at you I see leather shoes or bag I would point at it and say, killing for clothes is no different?

That rubbish was nothing to do with respect for the environment, it was a jumble of pseudo connections implying squashing bugs at 5 leads to abusive behaviour towards other animals.

But lots of perfectly nice people (including lots of women) who aren’t at all abusive to humans or mammals kill bugs and have done most of their lives without it bleeding over into violent or antisocial behaviour, let alone sociopathy. And just because some people have decided to teach in the classroom that you shouldn’t kill bugs doesn’t mean it’s actually a cultural norm you can rely on outside your bubble.

@mathanxiety until someone argues otherwise, yes. I mean why is the OP even bothering to teach kids respect for the environment if it's "rubbish" or they have no capacity to understand it-I'm not sure which since you refuse to elaborate. Maybe just move along if you have nothing constructive to add?

I just love it when posters rubbish the views of others without bothering to elaborate on why. I think they invented emojis for the people who can't be bothered to have a discussion, or did you just want to shut it down completely for some reason?

@Firefly1987
I'm not saying he could be a psychopath/sociopath but it needs monitoring to make sure he doesn't turn into one before there's literally nothing you can do to change it. He could just be a normal boy-it's 90% boys that do this, which explains a lot about future male behaviour doesn't it?! Me and my friends never did anything like that, wouldn't cross our minds. But I'm sure actual psychopaths started out with bugs before they moved onto animals and then potentially humans, it's an escalation. This boy had just had a lesson on respecting nature, and honestly if they don't have the capacity to understand harming bugs purely for fun, I see no reason why their tiny brains will comprehend the lives of animals either.

Do you really think this rubbish deserves careful consideration?

Moreover, children don’t actually flourish in terms of personality development when made to feel ashamed for who they are. That’s why some children who get off on the wrong foot seem to get worse and worse: they are forever met with correctional disapproval. I wouldn’t personally have risked that sort of “you are horrible” shaming over a bug.

Agree, @Calliopespa

I put down traps for mice because you're actually not supposed to move them to another area (it's cruel apparently) and there's not much else you can do. I don't use poison because I think that's needlessly cruel and a snap trap is pretty much an instant death 99% of the time. As a kid I didn't agree with killing them though, it's only as an adult do I understand it's basically the only option. I don't enjoy doing it, or do it to assert my power over something smaller than me.

But they still end up dead, so your motivation and your high ideals are only a comfort to you,right? Or do you expect them to understand?
@Firefly1987

that depends on the child in question. Some will some won’t. They’re still learning at that age.

seriously?

btw I kill mosquitoes, moths and spiders in my home, do you want to have a word with my parents?

I would laugh if a teacher told me this. But I kill spiders if in my house and would spray flights or wasps in the house too. Also as another pointed out we flea and worm our cats so I don’t really see much difference. I’m vegetarian if it’s relevant 🤷‍♀️

Agreed! Ridiculously dramatic!!

When I was teaching in a Foundation stage unit in a primary school, there was a little boy (5) in my key worker group who did this but it was witnessed by another teacher. She was very upset with the child and insisted I told his mum at pick up time. As she was more senior than me, I did, but I felt very embarrassed doing it and the mum looked at me like I was a total idiot - which I felt!
The senior teacher even followed up by asking me to confirm I had passed the message on to the mum. She seemed bewildered that his mum didn’t really care. I still remember it as a very weird interaction, and did wonder at the time if the senior teacher was under alot of stress.

Tell the teacher, let the teacher deal with it