This guest post was written by Amanda Bentley of Qavashop, an online store for coffee aficionados. Apart from providing its customers with quality coffee machines and consumables, it also provides them with advice about how to make their own restaurant quality espresso at home.
Most kids get really excited about owning a pet. Caring for a lovable creature who is also their daily playmate is a child’s dream come true. If that pet becomes a best friend, then the bond they share for the rest of their lives is incomparable to any human connection. They create wonderful memories together and an amazing childhood to hold on to forever.
When it’s time to beg a parent for a new pet, children are quite clever at highlighting all the positive, fun aspects of adding an animal to the family. But the reason why so many parents hesitate to give into the request for a new pet is because it requires a ton of patience, time, and effort to share your home and life with a pet when you already have kids to take care of.
But what you get in return is not just the unconditional love from your pet. Research shows that pets can have a profound positive impact on your children. According to a study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development improve when they interact with a family pet.
If you are struggling to decide about bringing a pet into your home, consider these amazing benefits of pets for kids.
Teach Responsibility And Empathy
Approximately 58 percent of pet owners claim that their pets have helped their kids to be more responsible, according to a survey by the American Pet Product Association. Simple tasks such as walking the dog, cleaning up the bird cage, or filling a food bowl can instill a sense of responsibility and accomplishment in a child. Helping in bathing or brushing a furry pet can also make a child aware of their own personal hygiene needs.
Taking care of a pet also helps children develop empathy. Because kids are naturally focused on their own wants and needs, a pet that depends on them can have a huge impact on broadening their perspective. One thing you can do is ask your child to pay attention to your pet’s mood and observe if it seems sad or sick. This will teach your child to be sympathetic to other’s feelings and needs.
Always keep in mind that even the most responsible child is capable of making mistakes. If your children make a mistake or get careless when it comes to taking care of a pet, ask them why they did not feed or walk the pet and then explain how their action impacts the animal.
Provide Comfort And Companionship
The companionship of a pet also offers coping skills for kids by alleviating loneliness and isolation, which can be part of anxiety and depression. Kids find support and security in having a pet companion to always be there for them. A study published in The Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health concluded, “There is growing evidence that children turn to their pets for comfort, reassurance, and emotional support when feeling anger, sadness, or happiness. Thus, it is plausible that companion animals may have the potential to encourage better emotional health and reduce anxiety and depression.” In addition, experts have found that children who own pets have improved social interaction with their peers since a pet gives them something to talk about with other kids their age. Learn more about where to turn when you or your kids are feeling sad: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/general/where-to-turn-when-youre-feeling-sad.
Boost Self-esteem
According to a report from the Pet Health Council, kids who have pets have higher self-esteem and confidence. The report says that “Children with low-self esteem may talk to, or confide in, an animal in ways they would not with people. They are often more confident in performing tasks they find difficult with an animal simply because the animal does not care if mistakes are made, nor will the child be afraid of looking silly in front of the animal.”
Experts believe that the critical time in which owning a pet can impact self-esteem is under age six. Dogs and cats are usually considered the ideal providers of social support since they offer a greater level of interaction and reciprocation than other pets. Experts also believe that pets have played a positive role in various cultures by providing psychological support, helping people feel good about themselves and more optimistic about life.
Enhance Learning
It’s a well known fact that pets like dogs and cats can help children learn more effectively. For a long time, dogs have been used as a therapy tool in schools for children with developmental disabilities. They have been shown to be especially helpful in improving children’s reading skills. A study conducted on second graders showed that children who read aloud to a dog had better reading skills than children who read out loud to an adult. Researchers then concluded that this was because the child was less stressed with a dog as it provides nonjudgmental support.
Improve Family Bonds
A pet at home is something all family members come to love and cherish. Having a pet can make the family bond stronger, as animals are usually the centerpiece of many family activities. Walking, grooming, feeding, and playing with a pet are enjoyable for everyone. The pet also forces family members to slow down from their hectic lives, realize the importance of nature in our life, communicate with one another, and enjoy spending time together relaxing with their animal friend.
Find out if you or a loved one qualify for an emotional support animal through ESA Certificate.
I absolutely love this post – thank you so much for sharing. My little ones are 3 and 6 and I think the perfect ages for their first puppy. Thanks again!
Great post! Our three kiddos know about responsibility from having to take care of our Dalmatian. She also provides them with endless entertainment! Rose @ Our House of Love
So true! Thanks for sharing!
Great post, very informative! We are a critter loving family, we have 2 Chihuahuas, a cat, a ball python, an aquatic turtle, and 3 backyard chickens. My kids love their pets and they have definitely helped teach both responsibility and empathy 🙂
Wow, you must all be quite busy. Enjoy them!
Thanks for sharing! I started asking my parents if I could have a dog at the same time that I started talking. They told me I could get a dog when I was eight…and thought I’d forget about it by then. But of course I didn’t, and we adopted a wonderful yellow lab and named him Toby. I can’t imagine growing up without him. Dogs are amazing creatures.
Thanks for sharing your adorable story.
This is a great article! Having a pet can make a child so caring and responsible. I had three puppies when I was a kid.
YES!! I think everyone should have a pet growing up.
Couldn’t agree with you more about having a pet. Does teach the child all of these things and much more.
Love this! My husband wants to get a dog but I am not on board yet. Our son is only 3 and I want to wait until he is a little older. However, he does have a pet frog that he loves named “Dragon”
I agree that pets teach kids so many wonderful things! We have a farm, so my kids get to bottle-feed new calves and baby goats every spring. My 5-yr-old treats our farm cats like babies. Most are patient — some are not!
This is all so very true. My daughter has really become more empathetic , responsible and selfless since she got her dog. They are more than just a pet, they’re a big part of the family. Great post!
Letting your child have a pet is a great way to teach responsibility at a young age, but not too young. I think children should be at least 5 or older. Great post!
I couldn’t agree more with this. When we got our dog, we adopted a family member. My kids look out for him and he looks out for them. He truly is a companion. They also learned not to leave stuff on the floor or he will eat it. lol
When my little sister was 1 y/o her pediatrician recommended that our family get a dog to ease her crying. My mom at the time was not fond of animals, but my stepdad agreed and without warning brought a new puppy into our home.
That little puppy changed everyone’s life, his name is Bartolo. My sister and him were inseparable, 10 years later and they’re still connect at the hip. My mom grew to love animals, he is like another child to her.
I really think introducing a pet into your family will change everyone. The best part is that they become your companion for everything.
Great post 🙂
Karen | Pet Blogger
wildrosehealer.com
I love this post! We have a sweet and quite lazy 8 year old lab that our daughter just adores! Their companionship has been amazing to watch over the years and my daughter is so gentle with our pup. Your post makes me ready to run right home to snuggle with our fur baby!
I live walking Rosie with my wife. Shes a cute pup. I agree with developing a sense of empathy. Unconditional is the way you need to be with a pet, opens things up.
Absolutely agree with you! I never thought I would be a pet owner, but it has changed our children’s lives for the better. Awesome article.
I grew up with animals all of my life. When I moved from Ohio as a kid with my mom we moved 13 various kinds of animals with us. I don’t know how to handle life without an animal in it. We have four dogs in our home (one for each person in our house now.) You’re right that we gain all of these benefits and more by having pets for kids in our home.
This is such a wonderful post and very informative! Having animals in our lives is very theraputic.
Having pets has been incredible for teaching empathy and sparking bonds between my kids. Our third cat is coming home in a few days, and I’m looking for all the coos (and chaos!) that a little kitten brings 😉
I nodded along with all of these – I had a dog when I was a kid, but not until about age 11. Life-changing. Pets can bring so much to any person, but for kids there’s so much more than can enhance as they learn, connect and grow with their family and the wider world. Fantastic post, it’s interesting to see the research behind some points too. xx
Companionship is definitely a great reason, especially for an only child. Sadly my child is very scared of dogs right now, but we’re trying to work on that!
This is so accurate! We have 9 cats and my 13 month old absolutely loves them. She’s learning to pet them gently and she knows them all by name! I already see her love for animals shining through, which is so important.
We have a 3 year old who is so good at giving our dog snacks, making sure he has food and he gets his exercise (daily walks). She also knows that “Momma has 2 babies.” Our 4 year old dog and 3 year old daughter.
This post makes me happy. Improves self esteem and teaches empathy. My kids have grown up with two dogs and two cats. We love animals. Great post. Thank you!!!
~Michelle
https://michellescrazybusylife.net
I have 3 kids and each one of them has a dog. I think it is a great idea for kids to have a pet to care for. There are so many benefits.