By: Song E.
Is your child begging you for an adorable, little puppy? Or maybe it’s a kitten or a bunny. I remember attempting to persuade my parents for a dog when I was younger… all the time! You might be set on saying “no,” but if you’re worried about the hassle of a new pet, here are some reasons why it may not be such a bad idea to give in to your sweet, nagging children.
1. Pets Can Bring the Family Closer Together
It’s true, pets can make a family come together and bond. When going through tough times, having animals around can help allow people to open up to issues and bring them closer together.
2. Your Kids Can Grow Confident and Open Up
Pets are essentially our friends. Kids can gain confidence by bonding with pets because they can open up to a friend without any judgment; this can be very beneficial to them.
3. Taking Care of them isn’t so Bad
Depending on what kind of pet you choose to adopt, the actual work in taking care of them isn’t as bad as it is made out to be. You’ll need to feed them, and bathe them, and clean up after them, but once they grow up, they will be able to take care of themselves, for the most part. Also, you can have your child (who wanted the pet) do some of the work too. You don’t have to constantly monitor your cat or dog, you’ll just have to make sure they’re getting enough love!
4. You’ll Love Them Too
Yes, once you bring your new pet home, you’ll fall in love with it too. You might be surprised at how attached you’ll become to a new pet. When we adopted my dog, my mother continuously reminded me that it would be my dog and that I would be responsible for taking care of it. It didn’t take very long for my mom to love my dog more than anyone; she even gave him baths consistently! So maybe you will benefit from the love of a new pet as well, I know we did.