Parental Control of Child Visitors

[MummyOrca]

I don't think that's odd. It sounds like he has already worked out the difference between animals that pose no threat to him. i.e. in enclosures where he can admire and enjoy them from a safe distance, and those with no such safety margin- where he's confronted by them with nothing in between. I would say he's merely displaying caution- its quite possible he will grow out of it as he gets a bit bigger, but either way I'd call that intelligent.

I suppose in a way, yes, but he is actually more terrified of a sheep in a pen than any other animal he has ever seen! Funnily enough, he won't go near a goat behind a fence, they are just too scary, even if they have no interest whatsoever in him, but we took him in the goats pen at Africa Alive and after a few moment started to relax and was even telling the goats off for trying to eat and climb in his pushchair! (They had lots of babies at the time, so a pushchair is ever so fun to play in!)

He is a lot more relaxed with animals nowadays than he was. When we took him to Wroxham Barns for the first time, which is very expensive for what it is, he was petrified and hated it. Luckily they had a new indoor play area so we didn't waste our money! I'm sure he'll grow out of it soon.

 

[Pertinax]

I suppose in a way, yes, but he is actually more terrified of a sheep in a pen than any other animal he has ever seen!

Children do have very irrational fears, don't they? And often you can't figure out just what the problem is.

Many years ago some little children came to see our Pygmy Goats we kept at the time. We had two tiny goat kids and they were invited to pet them, along with our own small children, who loved to stroke them. But despite their example, the visitors wouldn't go near them. They later explained that they were frightened of the little kids' sharp-looking feet....

 

[MummyOrca]

Children do have very irrational fears, don't they? And often you can't figure out just what the problem is.

Many years ago some little children came to see our Pygmy Goats we kept at the time. We had two tiny goat kids and they were invited to pet them, along with our own small children, who loved to stroke them. But despite their example, the visitors wouldn't go near them. They later explained that they were frightened of the little kids' sharp-looking feet....

It's hard to keep up with the fears of my little boy, they tend to change from day to day, hour to hour!

Well I wouldn't have thought of the feet being the cause of fear! Actually I think my Son was scared of the little ones over the larger goats in the petting zoo at Africa Alive. I think probably because they were jumping all over the place!

 

[Pertinax]

Well I wouldn't have thought of the feet being the cause of fear!

That is why I used it as an example of the sort of (to us) irrational fears they can have- you would never expect that to be the cause of their fear.