| "Can I have a puppy? Please, oh please, I'll | | | | It will be a good idea to discuss the idea |
| take care of it and look after it and | | | | with the whole family. How do they feel about |
| everything" | | | | yapping dogs, hair shedding Persian cats, |
| | | | squawking parrots? If one of your children is |
| Just what do you say to your kids when they | | | | allowed their very own pet hamster, will all |
| ask for a pet? It is perfectly true that | | | | of the child's siblings demand a pet of their |
| growing up with a family pet can teach | | | | own too? Does anybody in the family suffer |
| children responsibility and to develop their | | | | with an allergy that would make sharing their |
| social skills. Also cultivating good feelings | | | | home with a certain animal intolerable? |
| towards pet animals helps kids to develop a | | | | |
| sense of self esteem and help them to | | | | Is the type of animal your child is asking |
| establish trusting relationships with other | | | | for suitable for your family, and your |
| human beings. But before you give in to your | | | | family's life style? A dog that needs two |
| kid's demands for a pony, rabbit, salamander, | | | | trips to the park every single day may not be |
| kitten, boxer, python, or macaw, there is | | | | suitable for a family who is away from the |
| plenty for you to consider. | | | | house all day. And no matter how much the |
| | | | child promises that they will walk the dog, |
| The first thing to keep in mind is that no | | | | there will be times that they will fail to do |
| matter how much your kid promises that she or | | | | so, (and times that you may not want them to, |
| he will be the one to take care of the pet, | | | | after dark for example). Choosing pets for |
| some if not all of that responsibility will | | | | kids is not easy, often the type of pet that |
| fall upon you. That is an inevitable, | | | | they plead for would not be the best match |
| inescapable fact. No matter how good the | | | | for their age and experience with animals. |
| child's intention is, there will be some, and | | | | |
| perhaps many, occasions when other things | | | | You should also consider cost. Not only the |
| take priority in their minds and the pet is | | | | cost of acquiring a pet, but more importantly |
| unintentionally neglected. That is, the pet | | | | the cost of taking care of it. All animals |
| would be neglected if you were not there to | | | | involve a financial commitment, food, vet |
| step in, because somebody has to. | | | | bills, pet care products etc. You don't want |
| | | | to acquire a pet for your kid only to find |
| Secondly a child may sincerely believe that | | | | that you don't have the financial means to |
| the thing that they most want in the world is | | | | keep it. Small pets for kids often have less |
| a cute little black and white kitten, just | | | | costs involved in looking after them than |
| like their best friend of the moment has. The | | | | larger pets do. |
| child has really convinced themselves that | | | | |
| they want a kitten, and a kitten will hold | | | | There are many other things to consider when |
| their interest for ever and ever. And so it | | | | choosing pets for kids, but hopefully this |
| would, until their new best friend of next | | | | short article will have prompted you to think |
| week gets a pet lizard which is just sooo | | | | about the fact that buying an animal for a |
| cool. So you will want to make absolutely | | | | child, is not the same thing as buying a kid |
| sure that the pet that your child is | | | | a cell phone or a bicycle. Pets are living |
| demanding will be a long term passion, and | | | | breathing creatures, they need care, they |
| not just a fleeting interest. | | | | need commitment, they need love. |
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