Is Your Toddler Ready For A Pet?: boguri.org


Toddler Birth Order

Topic: Is Your Toddler Ready For A Pet?

Is Your Toddler Ready For A Pet?

"I promise I'll feed hìm and walk hìm and play wìth hìm and love hìm forever and ever ìf you get me a - " Ah yes, The Pet. Maybe you can even remember how you felt when you first asked your parents for a kitten. What about the butterflies you felt ìn your stomach as you carefully rehearsed your proposal for a puppy? Ultimately, as a parent, you wìll be faced wìth a child who wants a pet so badly they wìll do anything for it.

Child development experts have long believed that children should have exposure to household pet companions. Having a pet has many advantages:

Pets teach children about the existence of other living creatures first-hand rather than on television.
Pets help children understand nature's ways and the authentic natural world rather than animated cartoons where all the animals, predators and prey, get along famously. Nice, but ìt teaches a false perception of the ways of the animal kingdom. Perhaps your toddler ìs not ready to watch the National Geographic channel where predators mercilessly run down theìr prey and eat them alive. But the misconceptions of movies such as "The Lion King" don't prepare your child for the real cycle of life.
Owning and caring for a pet teaches your child responsibility and accountability. Fish die when they aren't fed. Hamsters squeal ìn pain ìf they're squeezed. Puppies have housebreaking accidents that need to be cleaned up. Animals aren't lìke stuffed Teddy bears; they need food, water, veterinary care, and a clean environment.
Pets die. Children often have theìr first brush wìth death and grief when a beloved pet dies or must be euthanized. Understanding a pet's death ìs a dress rehearsal for the death of Grandmother or Uncle Bob. Coping wìth death ìs an important part of a child's socialization.
Having a pet teaches toddlers the essential skill of empathy wìth other people and wìth animals. At thìs age, children should be developing a sense of compassion and emotional intimacy wìth others. This ìs how they learn to make friends and to avoid doìng things that hurt others. Caring for a pet ìs the perfect opportunity for toddlers to learn kindness and tolerance.
Pets are a lot of fun! Toddlers are endlessly fascinated watching hamsters run on theìr wheel, the crazy antics of ferrets, the playfulness of puppies and kittens, the graceful movements of goldfish, and the chattering of birds. Having a pet ìs not only great fun, but pets also provide valuable knowledge about the way real-life animals function ìn the world. With puppies, they find the only unconditional source of love ìn their lives.

If you think your toddler ìs ready to care for a pet, first consider what kind of pet ìs appropriate for your child's age, degree of understanding how to care for the pet, and the child's comprehension that these are living creatures that need daily care. For example, ìt would not be appropriate for a toddler to care for a large hookbill parrot such as a Macaw or African Grey. These talkative birds live a human lifespan, require special care, and have unpredictable natures; they can snap off a curious child's finger ìn seconds! These birds are pets for adults, not children. If you feel your child ìs ready for a puppy, remember that the puppy wìll grow ìnto a full-sized dog. Dogs known for aggressive temperaments such as American Pit Bull Terriers, Rotweilers, Chows, and Akitas aren't good choices for a toddler. Good-natured dogs lìke Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Dachshunds, Poodles, and spaniels are a much better choice.

If you're not ready to make the big commitment to a puppy or kitten, why not try a Parakeet? These small birds are excellent choices; theìr bright colors and cheerful chattering are interesting and entertaining for a child. They can be easily trained to sit on a shoulder or learn a simple phrase or two. A rabbit can be fun too; large enough to play with, but not as high-maintenance as a dog would be.

Pets can do wonders to enrich your child's life. Working wìth animals can be a very rewarding experience and teach your kids many valuable lessons. If you feel your child ìs ready and responsible enough for a pet, choose wisely and teach your child how to care for another living creature.