The Tale Of A Dead Guinea Pig
A recent article by Christy Oglesby of CNN tells of a mother who kept the death of her son’s guinea pig a secret to protect him from the grief while he was studying for exams.
When Christy discovered the stiff corpse of Checkers the guinea pig she found herself in the middle of a moral dilemma that almost turned into an episode of Laurel and Hardy.
Knowing full well that her son Drew would be devastated by the loss of the pet he “loved like a daughter,” and knowing that he was facing five tests within the next two days, she decided to cover up the death for a couple of days.
The crafty cover-up plot was not without its difficulties. But with a lot of creative distractions and fast talking she managed to maintain the secret for two days until the tests were behind her son.
Of course the inevitable grief still came once the sad news was broken. But Drew was able to express his grief without affecting his scholastic endeavours. And the reason for the delay in breaking the news to him was fully explained.
Some people would, and did, say that Christy crossed a line. Are third grade tests more important that a young boys emotional health? Of course then there is the other camp who agree, that dead guinea pig is a dead guinea pig and a couple of days delay in breaking the news won’t make any difference.
What do you think? Did the mother act responsibly or did she inhibit her son’s social development?
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