I am so happy that I am giving my kids the childhood that so many of us wish we had. Between feeding baby lambs, garden, and eating what the land has to offer, I know that they are learning valuable lessons about life and death.
We have always taught my daughter about death, I want her to know that it is a normal part of life. It is alright to be sad or angry or whatever feeling death may stir up. A great example is when we load up sheep or pigs into the livestock trailer to go to the butcher. I always ask if she would like to go and say good bye to the animals that are in the trailer and let her know that they aren’t coming back. She climbs up on the fender, says her peace with the animals then gets down and usually asks where they are going. I explain that the animals are going to the butcher and will be made into sausage. (She loves sausage).
At the age of three, she has seen her father cutting up venison (deer meat) in the barn, so she knows that deer turns into supper. Some days, as I’m taking her to daycare, we will see some deer in a field. She will tell me that she wants to eat the deers. Well, at least she is learning where her food comes from!