I am SOOOO sorry for your loss.

It is heart-breaking when we have to face our own sorrow and our children's at the same time. As someone suggested, I would be sorely tempted to fix the environment, get another snake, and hope he doesn't notice...

But in the end I wouldn't do it. I believe it's important to be honest with our children so that they will always know they can trust us. And I also believe it's important for children to learn to deal with grief and sorrow. We all hope sorrow is a lesson they'll learn later rather than earlier, but the fact is that it is part of life, and what will help our children more than shielding them is teaching them to grieve and then live again.

I love the idea that you could make a project of learning more about them together and preparing a good, healthy environment for your snake. What a learning opportunity for your son!

About your loss--it is human nature to blame ourselves when we suffer loss. There is always more we could have done. But if we didn't make mistakes we wouldn't be human. No one is perfect. You expected that the pet store would know how to care for your pet, and you followed their instructions. Sure, you could have done more research, but, again, we all make mistakes.

And you are demonstrating something much more important than perfection--the willingness and desire to learn and grow and do better next time. So pat yourself on the back for that and move forward.

I look forward to hearing more about your adventures back into the snake world--or not, if you decide it's not what you want/are able to do. Either way,

Blessings,

Heather