Killing For Your Child’s Safety

Most every parent would kill for his or her children, or at least I would like to believe so. And I see nothing wrong with this, being that I’m one of them. I would also like to clarify that, thankfully, I’ve never had to protect my child like this. But would you kill something or someone in front of your child?

I was taking a walk around the block the other day with my two-year-old son and a very large dog I didn’t know was sitting in the front lawn of a house we were coming upon. It didn’t look like it was chained up and I have no way of knowing if it had an electric fence, knowing my neighborhood, most likely not. I didn’t notice the dog at first until I heard it bark, just once. Luckily my kid was interested in some bug or leaf on the ground so I didn’t have to stop him.

My son loves dogs, he points out every dog he see and gives them a friendly bark back. When our neighbors are taking they nightly walk, usually the same time we are, we stop and talk while my son plays with their dogs. We are dog people, we just don’t own one.

The strange dog stayed in its lawn, and we turned around and finished our walk in a different direction. Luckily nothing came of it, but the thought crossed my mind, I’m sure I could take the dog if need be. Yes, I would be hurt, but my son would be fine, physically. But I started thinking during the long walk back home, what other consequences would there be for killing a living creature in front of a 2-year-old boy?

Yes, he would be safe from harm, but would he grow to fear his father? Or dogs? Or worse yet, would he grow to think that killing things was OK? I’ve gone so far as to teach him not to squish ants or other bugs we find outside, the only exception being spiders, they are not bugs, they are the devils work. I also don’t want to have to try an explain life and death to a two-year-old, potty-training is hard enough.

So what are your thoughts? Would you or have you killed something / someone for your child’s safety? Are you even slightly concerned about the consequences, not legal, but emotional for you child because of your action?

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