tears and questions

Wednesday night, we had the news on.  Brian Williams said there would be a special segment on efforts to save orphaned elephant babies, but I didn't think too much about what the segment would have and continued doing my work.  Suddenly William came up to me upset, asking why the elephant just died.  What?  I quickly turned to the TV and saw rescuers lifting a baby elephant into a helicopter and soothing it.  I told William they were helping the elephant--it was not dead.  Then I rewound the segment to show him.  That's when he pointed to the scene before the helicopter and said, "Look, it died."  Sure enough, there was the mama elephant dying on the ground after poachers had taken her tusks.  Japan and China are now allowing African ivory to enter into their countries, and elephant poaching is rising.  This one year old elephant stayed next to its dying mother for days, not wanting to leave her.  I had to explain to William why people killed the elephant.  He asked if they did not like the elephant, and I had to tell him money meant more than the elephant.  He started bawling and saying he didn't like that the elephant died.  I didn't either.  The good thing, though, is the elephant rescue is saving more baby elephants than they lose.  Some babies are so upset even after they are taken to the treatment center that they still refuse water and food.  What a lesson for William to learn--but also important.

That same night, he watched an episode of Octonauts to take his mind of the baby elephants.  There was an episode on seahorses I had recorded for him since he just got a Build a Bear seahorse.  Again, I wasn't listening until he asked me, "How do babies come out of your belly?"  Seriously, what?!?  How do I answer that?  I stalled, listening for the show's cues.  Then William said the Daddy seahorse carries the babies.  I said that is so cool, and asked him if daddies carry real babies.  He said no, that would be silly.  He asked again how they get out, and I told him "Let's watch and see!"  He studied the rest of the episode and seemed satisfied with its conclusion.  Biology lesson from Mommy postponed.  Thank goodness.  No more tv tonight!