How to explain roadkill to a three year old

Alligator Snapping Turtle (photo by Caldeira & Co)


Part of our post-church Sunday routine is a leisurely drive to Rock Creek State Park. The drive is usually serene and gets everyone (except the driver) to napland. As we crossed the bridge over the northern inlet, we came upon what we thought was a piece of driftwood. As we got, closer, I realized it was a large turtle on its back.

I stopped the van to move the turtle off of the road. As I looked for a stick in a ditch to move the turtle, the turtle moved. "Uh-oh," I thought. We called the park ranger. I hadn't tried to move it, but had positioned the van so that the turtle would not get hit a second time.

As we waited for the ranger to arrive, Slane worried about the turtle. "Will it be okay?" she asked.

Will it be okay? "No," I thought. Turtle shells are no match for truck tires. Blood was coming from its mouth. The best we could do is give it comfort in its last moments on earth.

Instead, I turned it into an object lesson about why we need to be careful crossing the street, which scared her a little.

"Will the turtle make it?" Slane asked.

"I don't think so," I answered.

The ranger arrived. He scooped the turtle, an alligator snapping turtle about the size of a medium-sized watermelon, into a box. There was a puddle of blood on the pavement. The turtle had a large crack in his shell near his right shoulder.

"He's not going to make it, is he?" I asked.

"No," the ranger answered.

"Thanks for coming to rescue him anyway," I said.

We got home and took our Sunday afternoon naps. When Slane woke up, she was unsettled.

"Are you sad about the turtle?" I asked.

"Yeah," Slane said with a sniffle and and a quiver in her voice.

An object lesson would not work this time. Instead I called on a higher power: Fancy Nancy.

"Slane, Fancy Nancy's mom talks about how big and generous Nancy's heart is, right?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Mommy and I love how you show empathy and compassion for the people and animals in your life. You are the most compassionate, empathetic person I know. Empathy is a fancy word for caring for others.

"It's like Jonah. He needed to show compassion and mercy. Maybe Jonah could learn something from you."

Slane smiled.