9 Good Reasons to Having Your Children Grow Up with Pets

Unless you like to have a pet tiger, python, poisonous spider or other dangerous animals in your house, there is usually no harm in having pets around your children. In fact there are many benefits to have pets around growing children as long as the pets are trained and children are taught how to handle small animals. Common household pets like cats and dogs are the best for young children. Below are 10 good reasons to have your children growing up with pets.

1. Love

Children are by nature very self focused and they are always in the centre of their own universe demanding for immediate attention. By having small animals around them, children will learn how to be gentle to other creatures and learn how to love in order to receive love. Good pets will respond with affections in return to love shown.

2. Responsibility

Once children learn how to love their pets, they will learn how to take care of the pets they love. They will do so by taking responsibility in feeding them regularly or grooming them by keeping them clean. At a young age, they can learn to be responsible for their pets.

3. Interaction

Children must learn that they cannot have things their way all the time. They will learn that pets may not respond instantly or exactly to their desire all the time. By interacting with good pets they will learn about acceptable behaviour from pets and thereby about acceptable behaviours as children to their parents or other adults. This will lead to good social interactions.

4. Patience

Teaching children to train pets teaches them the virtue of patience. Trained pets will come when it is called, and children can be taught to call to the pets and wait for it to respond. The child will learn that it takes time to train pets. Patience will be learnt in the process.

5. Recognising Danger

A young child usually does not know about danger and therefore they will not know how to react when danger arise. In their interaction with a pet, a child learns that it is dangerous to pull pets' tails because the cat or dog usually responds by growling or worse still scratch and bite. The child will learn to react to such danger when taught and when other danger arises, they will respond to their parents warning more immediately.

6. Loyalty

A pet especially a dog can be very loyal. Once it is in the house long enough, it becomes part of the household and will protect its family in time of danger or will raise the alarm when there is an intruder. Such loyalty will rub off into children and they too will learn to be loyal to theiir siblings, parents and friends.
Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog (Howell reference books)Price: $5.93
List Price: $16.95 The Ultimate Cat Lover: The Best Experts' Advice for a Happy, Healthy Cat with Stories and Photos of Fabulous FelinesPrice: $4.84
List Price: $14.95 Chicken Soup for the Soul: Loving Our Dogs: Heartwarming and Humorous Stories about our Companions and Best FriendsPrice: $8.63
List Price: $14.95

7. Nature

The world of a child devoid of animals is surrounded by machines and other human beings. By having pets, the child will learn that this world consists of other living beings and he will learn about nature and how natural world behave.

8. Self Control

Young children tend to do things uncontrollably and with their jerky movement they startles pets away. Children with pets will learn how to control their sudden movements and move slowly when pets are around.

9. Good Memories

Cats and dogs are wonderful friends to have. This friendship would last for many years of a child's life and provide the child with many happy and precious childhood memories.

Having pets enrich our children's life, more than the nine reasons stated above. Our children will be the poorer for it without pets.