Having a pet in the family is something everyone loves to cherish, especially small children. In fact, pets are an integral part of the lives of many children. This is why many people prefer to add a pet to their family. However, parental involvement, planning and open discussion are necessary to make pet ownership a useful and positive experience. A friendly relationship between pet and children can make a big difference in shaping the child’s future in addition to garnering kind and friendly habits within the family itself.
Choosing The Right Pet
Although all types of pets can please children, you need to choose a pet that is right for your home, your family, and your family lifestyle. Above all, the chosen pet must be the one that your child cares for. Parents should be careful with respect to the choice of animals as pets. Unusual and exotic animals could be difficult to care for. It is best to look for an animal that can befriend humans comfortably. Usually, cats and puppies make an ideal choice, especially puppies.
Caring For Your Pet
While caring for a pet is imperative to ensure the animal befriend with the family, it can also help your kids to foster social skills. Since pet and children tend to mix with each other quickly, you can rest assured that you are actually teaching your kids the art of caring, love, and affection with the pet. However, it is important to follow certain guidelines when caring for the pet.
Since young children in the age range of 3-4 years lack maturity to control their aggressive behavior, you should monitor them with pets all the time. Small children are not in a position to take care of the pet by themselves. Parents should oversee the pet care even if they think that their child is old enough to look after the pet.
If children lag behind in looking after the pet, parents should take the responsibility on their own. You should remind your kids in a gentle, not scolding manner, that animals need water, food, and affection just like people. Parents are role models for children. They imitate the style of pet ownership by observing the behavior of parents. You should care for the pet like your child if you want your child to care for others.
Benefits Of Pet Ownership
Kids raised with a pet show a number of benefits. Fostering positive feelings and care for pets can contribute to your child’s self-confidence and self-esteem. Healthy relationships between pet and children can help in developing trusted relationship with others when your kids grow for the real world. A good relationship with pets can be really helpful in developing compassion, non-verbal communication, and empathy.
Pets serve different purposes for kids. They could be safe recipients of thoughts and secrets; children often communicate to their pet in secret. Pets provide lessons on life – reproduction, birth, accidents, illnesses, and bereavement. They help to develop responsible behavior among children. Pets teach your child to respect other living things and provide a connection to nature.
Aside from social skills, a friendly relationship between pet and children can be really handy in garnering emotional and physical skills among kids. Pets such as dogs tend to be really active. By looking at the activity of the pet, your kids can learn how to run and move fast, respond to positive behavior, avert negative feelings and lots more.
Also, you can find out any abnormal behavior of your kid at a tender age in case your child behaves abusively and roughly with the pet. If you observe that such behavior persists in your child, it could be an indication that your child is suffering from serious emotional problems. You can refer your child to a psychiatrist for evaluation and cure.
Interaction Between Pet And Children
Although owning a pet can teach your kid a lot of things, these are all attributes that need to be learned. They do not come naturally to a little pet owner, except the love. As a parent, you have the responsibility to both the pet and children. You ought to see that they build a good and loving relationship with each other. If children are taught how to handle and look after the pet, they will be rewarded with years of love and companionship from their pet.
It all starts with teaching your little boy/girl the can and can’t with the pet. Initially, small kids tend to be rough with their pet because they wish to play with them. They actually don’t understand that their rough behavior might hurt the pet. When this happens, the pet will be reluctant to bond with the child.
Whether your kids own a cat or dog, teach them the safety play factors needed by their pet. A dog could be played much differently than a toy or hamster. For instance, you can make a project for your kids to learn and understand what is safe and what is unsafe when it comes to handling the pet.
The next responsibility for the little pet owner is to meet the needs of the pet. This means proper food, exercise, and a clean living environment. These are all responsibilities the child should learn to keep the pet healthy and happy.
Additionally, train your little one how to be observant on pet reactions. In this way, your child will know when something is not right with the pet, and he/she can bring the issue to your attention. All these are little things that count on in building a healthy relationship between pet and children. If your child bonds with the pet, it is sure he/she will make friendly bonds with the world.
Bottom Line
Training your child the morals of life begins at home, and there is no better way to teach your child the basic morals without a pet. Pet and children make a perfect combination of love, kindness, affection, and care. Just be sure you choose the right pet after knowing the benefits of pet ownership and ensure a better interaction between the pet and your kids. Within no time, you will see a more friendly environment at your home filled with love, caring, and affection.
Pin that post!
