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

Yes, the psychopath comparison is absurd overreach. Torturing small animals in order to enjoy their suffering is not in any way comparable to stepping on an insect.

Lordy. I used to enjoy pouring boiling water into ants' nests when I was a child. My mother would hand me the kettle. I wouldn't do it now, but OTOH I didn't turn out to be a serial killer.

Some people are hysterically frightened on insects, and alternatively he might come from a household that watches those shows where people have bugs poured on them, and insects are seen as disgusting.

So he may have got the gist of the lesson about caring for nature, but maybe comes from a household were insects are seen as separate to animals and as germy and disgusting and fearful and was reacting to that rather than taking pleasure in killing the bug.
So at least your lesson did begin to counteract that. Maybe there could be a follow up into the benefits of insects etc. I'm sure BBC Earth has some documentaries on this.
Apologies, if I'm repeating pp as only had time to skim.

It's almost as if primary school kids can grasp absolute and simple rules but struggle with more complex ones.

Don't kill anything that's living seems like a reasonable rule for the age of kid. He can get into the world of pests and food safety risks when he's a bit more mature.

As for red flagged psychopath teachers 🙄

The only red flagged psychopaths I can see are the morally superior sanctimonious teachers who would punish a child for killing a bug/spider.

Slight overreaction I think.

Luckily world doesn't dance to anyone's agenda, hence the lack of consensus. I'm just flabbergasted that small children are being punished and red flagged as potential psychopaths for killing a bug, assuming it wasn't for fun.

You might think it’s wasted time and effort - but many people don’t. Luckily the world doesn’t dance to your agenda. If my child purposely killed an animal, I want to know and make sure my child knew wrong it was. I’m flabbergasted that some parents shrug their shoulders about a child purposely killing something for fun.

None of the examples you've given were gratuitous killing though tbf.

So much time and energy wasted arguing over this. Life is messy and contradictory. Imposing absolute rules, black and white thinking and telling him off doesn't really help a small child. A small child killed a bug, it's not that deep - maybe he was scared and acted out of impulse or instinct. I have squashed plenty of cockroaches in the house as a child, and trapped many flies/mosquitoes - they are a nuisance and pose health and food safety risks. The only red flagged psychopaths I can see are the morally superior sanctimonious teachers who would punish a child for killing a bug/spider.

I think the vast majority of people would think killing something doing potentially serious life threatening harm if that’s the only way to eliminate the threat is ok.

killing/abusing animals for food is ok in some peoples eyes is ok (not mine) - the grey area.

killing animals for fun is not ok unless you are a seriously fucked up person

Yes maybe the school should actually consider this point - it would be good if schools concentrated more on animal product free things esp in say cookery. Surely schools should be promoting things that don’t involve cruelty, are good for health and good for the planet.

I think if there had been occasions after your warning, I might say something. As it is, but their behaviour has been corrected and there's no need for parental involvement. If there were tasks around nurturing nature (eg growing a plant) I would encourage them to take an active role.

It's a not one you'd want to engage in a discussion with parents because as you can see here, there's not a societal consensus on this.

A lot of us eat meat and fish. We kill flies as we drive around in our cars. We might put an insecticide on our crops which kills bugs. We get exterminators round to sort out our rat problem. We put flea collars on our cats and put chemical lice treatment on hair.

But killing an animal is wrong. All very contradictory.

So if it happens again, talk to parents about him not doing what he is told.

Yes, I’m never sure why people don’t leave spiders in the house. Amazing and very important creatures.

Well can’t speak for anyone else but yes I am

Is there? Surely killing is killing?

They are sometimes indicators of sociopathic or psychopathic traits in early childhood according to the research.

The point is whether you believe killing all living creatures is wrong even a killer snake or spider if it's about to attack a baby.

I don’t think that is the point, or something that anyone has argued?

I'm sure the vast majority of people woudnt kill a bee. The point is whether you believe killing all living creatures is wrong even a killer snake or spider if it's about to attack a baby. The OP didn't state the child squished a bug for fun. He may have been genuinely frightened at 5/6 years old and didn't do this out of spite or to have fun. A fear of poisonous or stinging insects is genuine and often its a case of its either me or you if your venom is going to kill me.

I think with the abortion argument - it’s not actually a living thing at that point. It’s a cluster of cells for most people with potential to be living but not at the point of termination. Same as an egg from a chicken etc.

Provided it’s not a late termination (and there are very good medical grounds for those) then a termination is simply removing the possibility of life in that moment. In those circumstances. It’s ethically sound in my view as a vegan and pro life person generally.

It would obviously be murder if the child was born and living and then killed - the bug is a living thing, has a mother etc and a life of its own. Animals and some insects are conscious.

No, and as I said above, not really one for busy teachers, either.

The OP either has nothing to do, or is working herself into an early grave.

Chill.

So you never kill a mosquito? What would you do with a wasps' nest?

Edited: also clothes moths.

And you don't do gardening, clearly (unless you have a garden like ours which largely runs itself, but you still need to deal with bugs on occasion).

Typical perfect MNer (who I am sure isn't in real life).

the teacher told me this I would wonder what they were expecting me to do about it - supposedly they already told the child so what else?

Well exactly.

In my house we are in open and aggressive warfare with clothes moths.

We escort spiders and bees out, but kill moths and wasps. I think you are being precious.

The where do you draw the line question always makes me think about abortion I am pro abortion but o do find it odd that some of my friends tell me off if I eradicate a bee but think it is ok to abort a foetus.

To this and all the “but are you vegan" people. Once again, it is possible to feel empathy for animals and still eat meat or be pro abortion. We are human and life is various shades of grey... Not everyone is puritan and I dont understand the idea that one should only be allowed to feel or talk about empathy toward living things if one has never killed a mosquito or eaten bacon in their lives. Real life doesnt work that way and all these people are just talking theory (and they know it).

The point here is about cruelty and/or killing or torturing an animal for fun. Surely everyone would agree that is not right? Eating meat, most people justify it by saying we have been built that way, our bodies need meat, they dont see the suffering, they think animals have good welfare until they are killed and all the other various argumentations etc etc... Same with abortion, most people would have highly sensitive, individual circumstances and most people do not take that decision lightly at all. You may think right or wrong, but the point is, the act of killing and its purpose is debatable in both of these cases. But in neither case it is usually just purposeless or just for fun, as in just stepping on bugs cos we like to hear the squishy noises! Surely you see that?

So being a meat eater or proabortionist or any other whatabout this, doesnt mean that the same people cannot feel empathy towards a bee. This kind of argumentation is really pointless and just closes off any debate.

Are you asking because the parent reacted badly OP? Or just wondering if you overreacted?

I think the punishment is disproportionate to the behaviour.

Yes, I agree in principle that insects that are not harmful pests should not be killed for fun. If it was for fun, killing an insect on purpose can often be instinctual and from fear like when a spider is running towards you and you panic rather than ha ha I squashed you.

The teacher should only have done a tut tut and a that’s not very nice word with the child. Or at least found out why they had done it on purpose.

Adding on a chat with parents after school and a demerit/bad behaviour point is overly punitive.