According to a study by the University of Cambridge, children often have a closer relationship with their pet than their siblings. Taking care of a pet can help children develop social skills. Kids tend to think of all the good, fun benefits of having a pet but don’t ever think about passing the parental involvement in that relationship as it is necessary to help make pet ownership a positive experience for everyone. The parent can teach its children the best way to take care of an animal, and treat it kindly and patiently. If this process develops normally, your child should be taught automatically on how to treat people with the same tender way.
Here are several positive reasons to bring a pet home for your kids:
- Children who grow up with pets have less risk of developing common allergies and asthma.
- Playing with dogs may help lower blood pressure.
- Kids with pets get outside more often — going for walks, running and playing — so they enjoy all the associated health benefit while getting connected to nature.
- Emerging readers often feel more comfortable reading aloud to a pet.
- Nurturing a pet is like getting a parental role — practising caregiving.
- Feeding and caring for a pet can help develop responsible behaviour.
- Children learn how to respect other living things.
- Children with pets display improved impulse control, social skills and self-esteem.
- Sharing the love and care of a family pet forges an additional common bond among siblings.
- Cuddling a pet reduces stress, loneliness and anxiety.
- Children can get multiple lessons about life, like reproduction, birth, illnesses, accidents, death, and bereavement.
Despite these advantages are important, have always in mind that there are also risks associated with providing the child with a pet. Parents who buy a pet for their children must take into account temperament of the dog and the dog’s age, while as a very young puppy/kitten cannot understand that the child is not a toy. If the children are very young, the dog or cat may not be the ideal pet, because even the quietest / gentlest pet cannot respond properly to a child who does not know how to play gently with the animal. There are PetSafe pet products you can buy tho that help train dogs and pets to behave better. Parents must be willing to take responsibility, both financially and for any pet, which they bring home for the child otherwise, the Pet will end up in a shelter and homeless as many parents do after they feel that their kids did not respond well or are tired of taking care of the pet themselves.
