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Choosing The Best Pets For Kids
by: Larry Chamberlain
"Can I have a puppy? Please, oh please, I'll take care
of it and look after it and everything"
Just what do you say to your kids when they ask for a
pet? It is perfectly true that growing up with a family
pet can teach children responsibility and to develop
their social skills. Also cultivating good feelings
towards pet animals helps kids to develop a sense of
self esteem and help them to establish trusting
relationships with other human beings. But before you
give in to your kid's demands for a pony, rabbit,
salamander, kitten, boxer, python, or macaw, there is
plenty for you to consider.
The first thing to keep in mind is that no matter how
much your kid promises that she or he will be the one to
take care of the pet, some if not all of that
responsibility will fall upon you. That is an
inevitable, inescapable fact. No matter how good the
child's intention is, there will be some, and perhaps
many, occasions when other things take priority in their
minds and the pet is unintentionally neglected. That is,
the pet would be neglected if you were not there to step
in, because somebody has to.
Secondly a child may sincerely believe that the thing
that they most want in the world is a cute little black
and white kitten, just like their best friend of the
moment has. The child has really convinced themselves
that they want a kitten, and a kitten will hold their
interest for ever and ever. And so it would, until their
new best friend of next week gets a pet lizard which is
just sooo cool. So you will want to make absolutely sure
that the pet that your child is demanding will be a long
term passion, and not just a fleeting interest.
It will be a good idea to discuss the idea with the
whole family. How do they feel about yapping dogs, hair
shedding Persian cats, squawking parrots? If one of your
children is allowed their very own pet hamster, will all
of the child's siblings demand a pet of their own too?
Does anybody in the family suffer with an allergy that
would make sharing their home with a certain animal
intolerable?
Is the type of animal your child is asking for suitable
for your family, and your family's life style? A dog
that needs two trips to the park every single day may
not be suitable for a family who is away from the house
all day. And no matter how much the child promises that
they will walk the dog, there will be times that they
will fail to do so, (and times that you may not want
them to, after dark for example). Choosing pets for kids
is not easy, often the type of pet that they plead for
would not be the best match for their age and experience
with animals.
You should also consider cost. Not only the cost of
acquiring a pet, but more importantly the cost of taking
care of it. All animals involve a financial commitment,
food, vet bills, pet care products etc. You don't want
to acquire a pet for your kid only to find that you
don't have the financial means to keep it. Small pets
for kids often have less costs involved in looking after
them than larger pets do.
There are many other things to consider when choosing
pets for kids, but hopefully this short article will
have prompted you to think about the fact that buying an
animal for a child, is not the same thing as buying a
kid a cell phone or a bicycle. Pets are living breathing
creatures, they need care, they need commitment, they
need love. |
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