Seven Year Olds On Thanksgiving Dinner

Yesterday I took the kiddos to the pumpkin patch after church.  The weather was perfect, it was in the low 70's and the air was crisp.  As we drove past holiday decorations Nee Nee seemed deep in thought.  As we neared our destination she broke the silence with this question:

"Mommy, why do people kill turkeys for Thanksgiving?"

Ah, the hard questions.  My sweet beautiful daughter wasn't thinking about carving pumpkins or trick or treating, she was concerned over other living creatures and their welfare.

I wasn't sure what emotional direction we would be headed with a detailed reponse so I tested the water and answered simply, "It's tradition."

She paused and then said, "That's not very good for the earth, killing living things."

I smiled and told her "Well, you can decide not to eat turkey if you don't want any.  There will be tofurkey at grandma's."  

She went back deep in thought and didn't say anything else. 

It's strange to think that my little girl is getting to be mature enough to decide what she thinks is right and wrong with the world.  My hope is to continually move her from "That's not fair" to "What can I do about it?"