Are Pets and Young Children a Good Mix?
offer the same kind of relationship to an animal to my own children. However, the decision to get a pet should not be taken lightly and should, of course involve all family members, and especially the parents. There are many benefits of having pets when you have young children – By learning to take care of an animal and to treat it kindly and patiently, a child gets invaluable training in social skills too (how to behave with people). It can help a child build self-esteem and self-confidence. – Children can also get a sense of responsibility and help develop discipline. My 2 year-old loves feeding animals, from dogs and cats, to chickens, worms and bees (refilling their drinking bowl). – Pets can be great play companions, especially for a single child. Dogs and children often form very strong bonds, but this can also be true with other animals: my child pulls cats around in a little trolley, and we used to include our much beloved kitten in most of our games. – Pets can help a child so
