This LIttle Pig Had Roast Beef

Last Fall, we were headed home from vacation and had an hour layover at the airport. Finn and I were chatting about various and sundry topics, and we started discussing where food comes from. He knew milk came from cows and eggs came from chicken and bacon came from pigs - all the usual origins of some of his favorite foods. I pressed a little more, curious to see if he knew HOW milk came from cows, eggs from chicken, and bacon from (GULP) pigs.

He was doing fine until he got around to "pigs lay bacon".

Me: "What? No, pigs don't lay bacon..."

Finn: "Yes they do, Mom! Bacon and ham and sausage come from pigs."

Me: "Well... that's true Finn. But pigs don't lay those things. Those things are meat, and meat is made from animals."

Finn: (Pausing) "But how do they make bacon from pigs then?"

Me: (ohnohowdoIsaythiswithouttraumatizinghim?) "Well... the farmer has to kill the pigs and cut them up to get sausage, ham, and bacon."

I decided to take the 100% honesty approach.

Finn: "KILL them? Like with a gun? And they die?"

Me: "Yes."

Finn: blink blink "And they cut them up???"

Me: "Yes."

Finn: ".............. MOM."

He suddenly moves away from me and goes to sit at the very end of the row. I feel terrible. I decide to give him some space.

He didn't speak to me for 20 minutes - three hours in five year-old time.

Me: "So, you OK?"

Finn: "Yes. That's just sad. I don't want to eat pig bacon anymore. I'll just eat hamburgers."

Me: "OK."

I didn't have the heart to tell him. I have a feeling we'll be revisiting this topic when he gets older.