Effect on Children Having Pets

909 Words4 Pages
Many studies have been conducted on the benefits of the relationship between children and pets. It has been found that the positives tend to outweigh the negatives. Parents should be aware of the cause and effect relationship of pet ownership to effectively decide on the type of pet that their child will benefit from. There are countless effects of children having pets as they grow up. Such as, they learn social skills, how to operate with others, their memory performance is improved, and they are just generally healthier children. Pets are the best teachers a child could have, having a domesticated animal teaches children not only to express their emotion but that others have feelings as well. Pets teach life lessons such as love, loyalty, trust, affection, patience and responsibility. Many researchers, including Levinson (1965) and Ruth (1992), have observed that children who are not comfortable interacting with other humans often do not feel the same inhibition with animals.Many families get pets specifically for their children said Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University. “Why do you have an animal? A high percentage of parents answered, because they believe it’s good for the kids.”It is commonly believed that living with a pet teaches children skills they can use in their social interactions with other humans. “The belief is that maybe animal-owning children are a little bit more aware unconsciously, have learned nonverbal communication,” Dr. Beck said. A dog not only encourages more social interaction, but also plays a vital role in the education of the children. Research studies show that pet ownership can aid the development of a child’s social and emotional skills by enhancing perception and intuition and improving the ability to learn. A child that is allowed to help care for a pet will obtain nurturing skills
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