DD9 is about to witness several wild, weedy acres near our house be destroyed and built upon. I've hiked there with her many times discovering neat critters, rocks, and fossils. We even named a small hill after a tarantula we found there.
We've known about the contruction for some time, but recently the electric "EXPECT DELAYS" signs appeared, and DD instantly knew what they were for and was distressed.
Because DD has been having a lot of other issues in school with anxiety, my DW admonished me not to bring this up. The idea is to let DD bring it up (or supress it) because maybe she just can't handle it right now.
But I know how deeply DD feels this. She thinks about the dying and displaced animals. In about six days she is going to see the first bulldozers at work.
My impulse was to take DD out there one last time and say goodbye. Maybe bring a message to bury out there, or take one last souvenir rock.
Perhaps that act will bring her some closure, and help her deal with the reality that is coming. Maybe it will help her less now but more later when she revisits this.
It's hard to know what to do in these cases. I remember feeling and experiencing things as a child that were just too much for me to confront head-on until many years later. I can't underestimate how deeply she feels this so maybe I should just let her cope in her own way?
