Friday, July 1, 2011

Have a Pet in Your Home, for Your Child!

By Erin Smith


Pets are part of many children's lives. The connection between pet and child can be breathtaking to behold -- unconditional love and caring care at their finest. But there's more to the kid-pet relationship than sentimental moments. Children can tend pets, but they need guidance to do the job right. Parental involvement, open discussion, and planning are necessary to help make pet ownership a positive experience for everyone. A kid, who learns to care for an animal, and treat it kindly and patiently, may get helpful training in learning to treat people the same way. Careless treatment of animals is unhealthy for both the pet and the child involved.

While all kinds of pets can bring children pleasure, it is important to decide a pet that is right for your family, your home, and your lifestyle; and one that your child can help care for. Parents should be cautious about having aggressive animals as pets. Exotic and unusual animals may be difficult to care for and should be considered very carefully.

By taking care of pet children can develop their social skills. Yet certain guidelines apply: To control the aggressive and angry impulses of very young children (under the age of 3-4 years) as they do not have the maturity, they should be monitored with pets at all times. Young children (under 10 years) are unable to care for a large animal, a cat or a dog, on their own. Besides parents must oversee the pet's care even if they believe their child is old enough to care for a pet. If children become lax in caring for a pet, parents may have to take over the responsibility on their own. Children should be reminded in a gentle, not scolding way, that animals, like people, need food, water, and exercise. If a child continues to neglect a pet, a new home may have to be found for the animal. Parents serve as role models. Children learn responsible pet ownership by observing their parents' behavior.

Children who live with pets show many benefits. A child's self-esteem and self-confidence can be contributed by pets. In the development of trusting relationships with others can be helped by the positive relationship with pets. In the same way a good relationship with a pet can also help in developing compassion, non-verbal communication, and empathy. And pets can provide special purposes for children: They can be good recipients of private thoughts and secrets --children often talk to their pets, like they do their stuffed animals. They provide lessons about life; reproduction, birth, illnesses, accidents, death, and bereavement. They can help develop responsible behavior in the children who care for them. They provide a connection to nature. They can teach respect for other living things.

Most of the children are gentle and appropriate with pets; some may be overly rough or even abusive. If such behavior goes on with a child, it may be a sign of significant emotional problems. While any child who abuses, tortures or kills animals should be referred to a child and adolescent psychiatrist for a comprehensive evaluation.




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