Comments on: What would you do?

By: jen

jen — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:50:53 +0000

I wouldn’t go. I wouldn’t forbid my child from going to a reputable zoo or aquarium once he’s old enough to go without me, but I wouldn’t go. I too can see that there is value in the conservation work that many aquariums and zoos do, so I actually think that morally this is a grey area. But personally I just find it too depressing to go. There are plenty of other chances for the kids to spend time together; the last thing a child needs to witness is his mom forcing herself to put on a happy face “for appearance’s sake” when she actually wants to throw up and cry. That’s not helping anyone. But that’s just me.

I’d just tell the parent the truth — thanks for the invite, but aquariums make me too sad.

By: megan

megan — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:13:45 +0000

I would rather take him to a sanctuary like Poplar Springs to teach him about animals. Nowadays, the internet is a wonderful resource for videos and images of marine life and other animals in their natural habitat–I personally think that’s a better way to learn about the way animals live.

I do agree completely with your point about discussion–I think it’s really important to talk about the good and the bad with kids–they are smart enough, which I don’t think enough parents give kids credit for how smart they are. I know when he goes to school in a few years he will have trips to the Zoo and I know that will spark good discussion. By then he will be old enough to think about it and take part in making the decisions based on our discussions.

By: Amber McDonald

Amber McDonald — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:17:07 +0000

Personally, I would let him go. I think it’s important for your son to go to a party with children his age, as well as to see and marvel at the animals. Despite his young age (you don’t mention his age but from pix he looks like a lil tyke), this might be something that influences him for a very long time. Maybe he falls in love and develops a life-long passion for marine life and conservation.

If he were a little older, I would use it as an opportunity to discuss the good and the bad things about the National Aquarium. For example, the “Aquarium’s conservation, education, and research efforts make a vital difference in the status of our oceans,” but, the environment isn’t a natural one and leaves much to be desired.

Such is the world be live in — it isn’t perfect, but we can use it to appreciate what is there and learn what more can be done.