Can Children Benefit From Taking Care Of Pets?
Parents try to find different ways to teach their children how to be responsible and take care of another being. It usually starts with toys or some form of an inanimate object but often, to fully grasp the lesson, they need a living being to take care of for that to happen. In cases like these, can owning and helping take care of a pet provide children with these benefits?
Lessons In Responsibility
Taking care of a family dog or cat can give children first-hand experience in what it's like to look after another life. Taking them for walks, adhering to the feeding schedule, and spending time with their pets can help foster stronger connections and comfort with specific responsibilities.
Teaching your children from a young age to prioritize the needs of their pets and their desires can help them later in life when they have to juggle multiple responsibilities.
Bringing Comfort
In some cases, childhood can be a lonely experience for children. While therapy dogs have proven beneficial for children, your home pet doesn't have the official training to provide similar benefits. Having a furry friend to come home who loves them unconditionally can help give children a sense of comfort and belonging beyond lessons in responsibility.
A Healthy Source of Energy
While learning and developing skills centered around responsibility and caring about another life, children experience additional benefits when caring for the family pet. These animals require more than food and exercise to live a full and happy life in your home. Most animals, especially puppies, have boundless energy that needs to get burned constructively.
Pairing children's endless energy with their family pet leads to both having a blast running around, playing with each other, and tiring each other out — a recipe for success that parents love.
Build Stronger Family Bonds
There is nothing more uniting in a household than everyone's mutual love of the family pet. Whether you own a dog, cat or even a fish, each family member develops a bond with the pet in their own way. These bonds can also extend to each other and help children feel more connected and comfortable with everyone in the family.
As children grow older alongside the family animal, they build even deeper bonds with the family pet to the point where they feel like a furry little sibling that they always wanted. The furry friend can act as a lifeline for secrets and work through difficult emotions because of the level of trust built over the years and also the fact they won't tell all their secrets.
Take The Best Care Of Your Family Pet
No matter what kind of family pet you have, you and your children want to take the best care of your furry family member as possible. Whether you want to find the healthiest brand of pet food, the most durable toys and leashes, and, likely, a qualified trainer, finding somewhere that provides all of that can be challenging for families. Fortunately, Nurture Pet is here to help!
You can browse our online inventory to find the pet supplies you need, or visit one of our stores to see for yourself! Give your pet and children the best chance to learn from each other with Nurture Pet!