When your child’s desire for a pet arises, you’ll have a hard time getting him to listen to reason. However, there are real benefits to having a pet for your child. However, you’ll have a significant role to play in this project, which no doubt needs to take shape. Which pet should you choose for your child? In this article, discover some tips for making the right choice.
When your child expresses the desire to have a pet, it must be domesticated. In other words, your child’s choice should not be for an animal that cannot obey or follow a particular lifestyle.
The list of these animals is limited: the dog, the cat, the guinea pig, the dwarf rabbit, the house mouse, the hamster, and the gerbil. Of course, this list consists the most popular animals in the sense of domestication. However, it would be best if you considered discussing the issues surrounding the adoption of a pet with your child, and it would not be beneficial if the decision came from them alone.
What Are the Criteria for Choosing a Pet?
It is essential to use specific criteria to help your child choose a pet. Your choice should not be based on your child’s affection alone but points related to the animal’s life.
Your Child’s Age
It is not wise to satisfy your child’s desire for a pet when they are under seven years old. Children between the ages of 2 and 6 have not yet mastered some basic concepts and are not yet sure of what they want.
Of course, you will see that he develops a love for animals, but the certainty would only be palpable from the age of 7. However, the ideal age for him to get full custody of an animal is his 12th year. When you decide to buy an animal before this age, you must take joint care of it with him.
Life Expectancy of the Pet
Having a pet is not a desire that remains forever in the hearts of children. From a certain age, they easily detach themselves from them and concentrate on other activities. Therefore, the life expectancy of the animal is a factor in the choice of the ideal pet. Thus, the separation will be neither abrupt nor painful.
Indeed, some animals have a life expectancy of 2 or 3 years. By choosing such an animal, you must be prepared to manage your child’s crises following the loss of his companion.
Care of the Animal
By granting your child the right to have a pet, you must inform your child of their responsibilities towards the new family member. They are responsible for the protection, care, and feeding of the pet. In the beginning, it will be a little more complicated, and it may well happen that they forget to feed the animal.
It will be up to you to play a secondary role in the care of this animal. You must assist your child and help him to learn about the lifestyle of his companion. The more they know, the better they will be able to care for it. However, once they are knowledgeable enough and fully aware of their commitment to the pet, they will certainly take care of it as well as you. You can then withdraw and let them take the right initiatives.