# Parenting Failure or Parenting Win? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2011, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498 "2011-05-11T10:26:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/21 "2011-05-11T16:21:48Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Even if it was just killed by a dog, they have no idea where the squirrel’s been or what it could be carrying. Really gross. What if the squirrel _hadn’t_ been found by the child, and the dog had just returned from making the kill… would the board’s dog people rigorously disinfect the dog before allowing it to lick their faces, or the child’s? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/22 "2011-05-11T17:29:32Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > What if the squirrel _hadn’t_ been found by the child, and the dog had just returned from making the kill… would the board’s dog people rigorously disinfect the dog before allowing it to lick their faces, or the child’s? Probably not, though I know a lot of people don’t let dogs lick their faces. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/23 "2011-05-11T17:53:22Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Probably not, though I know a lot of people don’t let dogs lick their faces. Yea, I’d no more let my dogs lick my face, than play with a dead squirrel. Gross on both counts, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/24 "2011-05-11T18:29:14Z")
I thought it was cute. The squirrel was clearly a very fresh kill and the odds of catching something nasty off of it were minimal. And she was handling it gently. It’s not like she was disemboweling it for fun, or showing an ominous cruel streak. ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/25 "2011-05-11T21:15:31Z")
The video seems to have reappeared on Youtube… [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nn0UkdDArM) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/26 "2011-05-12T04:33:34Z")
Never having met this dad I want to- well, not kick his ass, but definitely snub him at dinner. A kid playing with a dead squirrel doesn’t disturb me- kids are naturally curious- but rather than filming her (in something that she’ll be recognized for years from now and probably at the most awkwardly possible time) why not explaining how it’s not a good idea to play with wild dead things? ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/27 "2011-05-12T08:40:58Z")
This is a parenting failure. I don’t care how fresh the carcass is, rodents harbor all kinds of diseases and parasites. Enjoy your Lyme disease and Bubonic Plague, little one! ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/28 "2011-05-12T16:55:55Z")
Not to mention rabies. Squirrels are pretty fast if they’re healthy. The fact that a dog actually caught it might suggest it was already sick with something. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/29 "2011-05-12T17:26:44Z")
That’s both completely adorable and completely disgusting at the same time! Interesting combination. I don’t really have a problem with the way he handled it, but I’d never let my own kid rub a dead squirrel all over their body, either. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/30 "2011-05-12T17:31:13Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > …why not explaining how it’s not a good idea to play with wild dead things? Do you really suppose he didn’t cover this eventually? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498/31 "2011-05-12T20:28:36Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Do you really suppose he didn’t cover this eventually? It’d probably carry more weight if he explained it to her before encouraging and filming her and then posting it on the net. Don’t misinterpret: I don’t think this alone makes him a bad parent, I just find it icky. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parenting-failure-or-parenting-win/581498.md?page=1)