#TBT: Is Your Child Ready For A Pet?
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| Aren't they ADORABLE? |
Almost every kid wants a pet. But not every kid should have one...#TBT October 2013
As my middle child fostered cats and dogs (mainly puppies) she grew to want one quite desperately...
I have a 12-year-old. She loves dogs. When I say loves, I
mean- loves. She can beckon any canine her way, in 2 seconds flat, whether at
the beach, the park, or just taking a walk in our neighborhood. She has this
innate ability to sniff out dogs in the area and make them putty in her hands. Then,
once she has them, they melt in her presence.
I’ll never forget the day she met
a really mean looking bulldog at the vet, and in less than five seconds, he had
her on the floor and was licking her to death. Hmmm… I wonder who had who under
their spell?
My little dog whisperer might be good at making pals with
pups, but unfortunately, she is no good at staying on task, keeping her room
clean, finishing her homework or picking up after herself around the house. And
she’ll be the first person to tell you that. So it’s quite clear to me that
although she would love a dog of her own, and is saving her money for it, she’s
not ready.
Feeling like it would be wise to give her some experience in
the meantime, (because I believe in her), I decided to let her start fostering
pets. In the last year, we have shared our home with over a dozen canines and six
felines (no, not all at the same time, thank goodness). The experiences have
been amazingly rewarding. But at the same time, my darling daughter has
realized how much hard work it is.
Sometimes when a child wants something, we have to give it
to them…but in small doses.
Another example of this is when my son said he
wanted to play full-on tackle football when he was only five years old. Leery
about the seriousness of his request, I bought him a football first. Then
played the game with him, knocking him down every now and then to see how he
liked it. After a few months of that, I realized he was comfortable with it, so
I signed him up for flag football. Then, even though he asked for tackle the
following year, I signed him up for flag again. I just wanted to make sure he
was ready, so I granted his wish in stages to make sure he didn’t get into
something he couldn’t handle. Once into the sport, with the basics down and without
fear of facing other kids for the physical part, I signed him up for tackle. He has been in heaven for
two years now. No fear. He was ready, and now he is a great success! He obviously knew what he wanted.
Kids don’t always know what they are actually asking for though,
often only focusing on the fun parts. At first, my daughter wanted a puppy, but
when I let her foster puppies over and over, she was wiped out, stating that
she didn’t think she wanted a puppy anymore, but would prefer an older dog.
Then, when I allowed her to foster dogs
over a year old, she realized that she still wasn’t ready for a dog. Her words
after a dozen dogs were, “A pet for me on my own would be too much of a
responsibility and I don’t think I’m ready”.
During this process of fostering animals, I realized
something else. Fostering helps the animal too. There are many homeless or
abandoned pets in our community and I learned that by taking one of them home
temporarily, we made room for more residents at the Animal Rescue Center. This
equals less cold, thirsty, hungry or abused animals left on the streets or out
in fields.
So, if you’re thinking about getting a pet, or if the kids
just won’t stop bugging you about one, seek out the no-kill animal rescue
centers in your area and sign up to become a foster family first. You’ll get to see
how the animal is with your family, read up on their breed, and take time to
think about it. It’s like doing a trial run first. It doesn’t cost you anything
but time. I’m glad we did.
