Article: Snakes in the Garden- the Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Raising snake lovers?
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jazzy1okc
Oklahoma City, OK
May 30, 2011
5:40 PM Post #8597847
| Thanks for a great article, Palmbob!
So many people have bad childhood memories related to snakes. I'm glad to be an exception to that rule. I love snakes and insects, thanks to my folks and my two older brothers, but I failed miserably at raising my son to be a "snakeophile".
All the hard work I had done up until then was undone in less than fifteen minutes one day when his grandpa, a NW Oklahoma rancher with bad childhood memories of rattlesnakes (in an area that hosts a massive rattlesnake roundup every spring), slammed on the breaks of his pickup truck in the middle of a dirt road, jumped out, grabbed a shovel, and beat a snake to death in front of the poor little four-year-old.
Come to find out, it was a big old king snake, which was a real shame.
The emotion of the experience stuck like glue to my son, who is still terrified by snakes yet is otherwise quite fearless.
After that day, I was the snake lady on the ranch and routinely rescued snakes before my father-in-law could get to them. He was actually quite grateful for that.
Adults really should try to avoid passing their fears on to kids. It is so important to face and conquer my fears and raise intelligent, brave, and curious children. That isn't easy, but triumphing over ones fears is the very best feeling ever! |
nmcnear
Novato, CA
(Zone 10a)
May 31, 2011
2:24 PM Post #8599718
| That's too bad about your son. :(
It's not too late to rescue him though! If he is exposed to snakes in a positive way, like watching people handle calm snakes at a zoo or a pet store, he can overcome his fear (but only if he wants to). Wild snakes would probably be a bit much for him right now.
The best way to ensure kids don't grow up to be afraid of snakes is simply to expose them early on in a way they find fun and interesting. Whenever I'm photographing a snake on a trail and a family walks by and asks what I'm doing, I like to tell them about the snake and some interesting facts about its natural history (like how the gophersnake mimics a rattlesnake, or how the rubber boa is a cousin to the boa constrictors that live in the jungle). If the snake is calm, I let them handle it too so they can see that snakes aren't scary or slimy. If the child is a afraid of snakes already, I would certainly not force the animal upon them, but just show them that the snake is friendly and isn't going to hurt them... Usually if they see their parents or siblings touch the snake first, they will come around too.
It's really amazing seeing what a difference this can make! |
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