Kids and Pets
Both children and pets can at times induce feelings of “can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em”! They are truly the real “Cutie & the Beast”. For most of us, our pets came first, often having grown up with them as kids ourselves; then our children come into our lives. Pets are usually one of the first living things outside of our human family that we love and care for. Children and pets can be very unpredictable so putting them together can be a bit of a recipe for disaster, but when done correctly, can truly enrich everyone’s lives for the better.
Started him young! This is a previous cat of mine, Zinni.
Just like I’ve said of any new enrichment item, the first time you introduce it, you need to supervise. This is true of pets and children equally! If you are adopting a pet for the first time and you have kids at home—they need to be supervised for the safety of both parties. Also true in reverse. If you have pets at home and child comes into your life (we know this can happen in just as many ways as pets come to us!), they need to be supervised when together. In this time of introductions, this rule applies regardless of either party’s age. As children get older and more mature, they learn the rules and how to live peacefully and happily with the pet. They may not need that heavy supervision by the time they are in middle school. Young children must always be supervised around pets. Accidents happen and tragedy can strike very quickly so it is the responsibility of the parents/adults to supervise and separate when needed. A good grasp of animal body language is one of the most important things to learn so you can stop things before they escalate too far!
This is after adopting our current cats, Hoos and Foos
It is our job as a parent to teach our children that our pets are living beings similar to us with feelings and preferences. The fun part is we get to open their world to the idea that another being won’t always like the same things you do. Our pets typically don’t want to get hugs and kisses, or be pulled on or swatted. Its typically one of the first windows to empathy we give our children. Learning these things can create bonds between our pets and children that we may never fathom. The rewards of those relationships are seemingly boundless as you may already know when you think of your childhood pet.
Enjoying trail exploration with his trusty friend, Tiber
If you have kids and pets at home, I hope all is well with that relationship. If it’s not, please don’t hesitate to give us a call so we can start to create some harmony there. I’m a mother and a pet parent. I can’t imagine my life without either one of those elements and I have absolutely loved raising my son to appreciate animals in the way that I do.
