A smart parent never buys their child a pet
- Updated on 01 Aug 2021
- Parents Corner
- orchidadmin
Topic Index
Introduction
As a parent, you want to do what is best for your children. You want them to have the safest and most enjoyable childhood possible. With that in mind, it only makes sense not to buy your child a pet if they are too young. Young children don’t understand responsibility or consequences yet, so it’s never a good idea to take on things like pets without knowing how they will handle it.
Many parents think they can train their children to be responsible, but children are still developing and don’t have the same attention span as adults. A pet is a living being with needs – not something that will ‘outgrow’ its neediness like a phase your kid might go through. In this blog post, we’ll discover why buying/adopting pets for children is not a wise decision.
Reasons why you’ll reconsider
Maintenance trouble
Pets need to be fed and watered, groomed every week or so. They may also have health issues that require your time/money for medications and vet visits. It doesn’t matter if you have a puppy or a hamster; they both require a lot of time and effort from you. Most pets require frequent walks or exercise, as well as being fed, loved, and having their environment cleaned. All pets are definitely high-maintenance animals, from cleaning feces to washing cages, etc. When you’re already having trouble managing your kids, it will be double the pressure to maintain a pet. Just like kids, pets are a lot of work as well!
Expenses are high
Like kids, pets require a lot of food and supplies. You need to factor in the cost for leashes, collars or harnesses, beds/cages/toys, or carriers if you’re bringing your animal around with you. It’s not just about going into pet stores; most animals come from breeders (who are expensive!). Moreover, there are costs like veterinary expenditures, food, pet cages or tanks, supplies, and grooming charges. So, even if your income is good enough to manage your family and the pet, this is still an additional expense and it requires your presence along with the pet, all the time.
Pet care is a full-time job
Pets require attention all the time. Whether it’s cleaning up after them, feeding and walking them, or just playing with them, there isn’t much free time for you leftover! If your children are home often they can help out but most of the work will fall on you as their parent.
When you live in a city, it can be challenging to find space for your pet. In addition, many cities have banned certain breeds of dogs and cats that are known as “menace” or dangerous pets. This means if you want to own one or more of these animals (like pit bulls), you’ll need to move to the country.
Allergies
We’d have heard from people stating they have an allergy to cat hair or dog hair etc. But do you know whether you have one? Some people will be allergic to the dander, saliva, and even urine of their new pet. In fact, many people have bought a pet and then claimed how they have faced allergies. When you’re having a kid around, it’s even worse because kids falling sick will be troublesome. When such a situation arises, it will hurt both you and the pet’s feelings, because if your next step is to give up your pet for adoption, it will be saddening for both of you. Without a question, allergies are one of the most common reasons to avoid getting a pet!
A pet’s death will be unbearable
Prevention is better than cure, isn’t it? That is why pets mustn’t be bought in the first place. When you and your child emotionally get attached to the pet, their sudden death will drastically affect their mental health. The more you think about it, the worse this idea sounds. Pets’ lifespan is short compared to humans and the worst thing is, death is uncertain. A pet with a 12-15 year lifespan isn’t guaranteed to live out till then. Sometimes, any illness can strike and rest your pet in peace. This will terribly affect your feelings because a member of your family isn’t anymore. There are a lot of cases where people have gone into depression due to losing their pets. As per child psychology, it isn’t fair to allow your child to experience a traumatic childhood if your pet uncertainty dies early.
Pets cause damage to the home
The more time they spend in the house, the more chances it has to cause damage. You’ll have a lot of work every day cleaning up after them-pet hair and dirt everywhere! Pets shed fur all over your furniture and carpeting causing you to need to vacuum at least twice daily. Dogs, for example, love to chew everything in sight. Doors, table legs, recliners, and carpets, or anything they find chewable, can be damaged. This behavior might be because they’re lonely, aggressive, or a natural habit. But at the end of the day, your home will be prone to damage. Moreover, when they chew on something like your kid’s toy, it will affect their health severely. This will lead further to a serious health condition. Also, when we narrow to child’s care, pets might get aggressive at them so, whether dangerous or best pets, buying them isn’t fine at all.
Outings won’t be possible
We can’t be traveling with pets everywhere. There are places where pets are banned so even if you want to enjoy a picnic with family, your pets will be forced to stay alone at home. Imagine, you need to travel to another city to meet a relative. You won’t be able to take your pet along. So they’ll have to remain in the house with a pet carer or give it to someone for a week or so to take care of. Sometimes you won’t be able to find someone genuine to take care of your pet and it’s pretty costly. Even a dinner night with the family will be hard, knowing your pet is at home feeling lonely.
Final thoughts
Pets are great and can become members of the family but they come with a lot more responsibility than most people realize. Pets will need to be fed, walked, groomed, and cared for when it’s hard to take care of kids as well. Take a pet if you’re sure about the commitment and all of its costs.
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