If you own a pet, you probably think of that pet as a family member. You care for it, nurture it, and love it - but did you know that your pet is giving you emotional health? Research shows that pets bring emotional well-being to their owners, and the benefits of pet ownership extend to children. Following are some of the characteristics exhibited by children who have a pet in the home, and other advantages to owning a pet.
- High Self-Esteem
Having a pet can help children with self-esteem - an animal is non-judgmental and loves its owner no matter what. Your dog will greet you at the door and your cat will love your warm lap no matter what other people may think of you. Children especially benefit from this unconditional love.
- Language Proficiency
Children with pets are more proficient in spoken and written language than children in non-pet owning families. Adults who have a hard time getting a child to open up and communicate in writing or speech have found that asking such a child about his or her pet results in expansive communication.
In other words, if a child will not talk about anything else, he or she will talk about his or her pet. Children love to write poems and stories and draw pictures of their pets, too, opening the door for creative expression which is therapeutic in itself.
- Social Skills
Children with pets tend to have better social skills, which could be due in part to the enhanced communication noted above. Also, as children come to a point developmentally where more social skills are needed, having a pet in the home tends to bring out those skills in a no-pressure environment. Pets make children surer of themselves, which makes socializing easier and more natural.
- Physical and Emotional Health
Let's not forget that physical health enhances emotional health. Having a dog means walking it, playing with it, taking it on hikes, and so forth. That kind of physical activity gets you and your children away from the TV and the video games and outside exercising. A dog's enjoyment of the outdoors gives its child owner an appreciation of the natural world and bridges the gap between people and nature.
Cats, too, can provide incentive to move - energetic play with your cat is every bit as entertaining as TV, but with the added benefits of interaction and exercise. Children love to run through the house dragging a piece of string with the cat in hot pursuit. Exercise and loving interaction benefit body, mind, and spirit.
- Depression
There is nothing like fur therapy when it comes to depression. Studies show that pet ownership or interaction with a visiting animal can greatly reduce depression and induce feelings of well-being. This is why there are therapy animals that visit nursing homes and the children's wing of the hospital, and why there are successful programs for troubled children that involve caring for animals as part of their therapy.
Owning a pet forces a depressed person to think about someone other than him or herself, and breaks destructive thinking patterns. Children who struggle with emotional troubles often find solace in the company of animals.
Certainly owning a pet is a big responsibility, and should not be undertaken without careful consideration. But among those considerations should be the emotional advantages.
- High Self-Esteem
Having a pet can help children with self-esteem - an animal is non-judgmental and loves its owner no matter what. Your dog will greet you at the door and your cat will love your warm lap no matter what other people may think of you. Children especially benefit from this unconditional love.
- Language Proficiency
Children with pets are more proficient in spoken and written language than children in non-pet owning families. Adults who have a hard time getting a child to open up and communicate in writing or speech have found that asking such a child about his or her pet results in expansive communication.
In other words, if a child will not talk about anything else, he or she will talk about his or her pet. Children love to write poems and stories and draw pictures of their pets, too, opening the door for creative expression which is therapeutic in itself.
- Social Skills
Children with pets tend to have better social skills, which could be due in part to the enhanced communication noted above. Also, as children come to a point developmentally where more social skills are needed, having a pet in the home tends to bring out those skills in a no-pressure environment. Pets make children surer of themselves, which makes socializing easier and more natural.
- Physical and Emotional Health
Let's not forget that physical health enhances emotional health. Having a dog means walking it, playing with it, taking it on hikes, and so forth. That kind of physical activity gets you and your children away from the TV and the video games and outside exercising. A dog's enjoyment of the outdoors gives its child owner an appreciation of the natural world and bridges the gap between people and nature.
Cats, too, can provide incentive to move - energetic play with your cat is every bit as entertaining as TV, but with the added benefits of interaction and exercise. Children love to run through the house dragging a piece of string with the cat in hot pursuit. Exercise and loving interaction benefit body, mind, and spirit.
- Depression
There is nothing like fur therapy when it comes to depression. Studies show that pet ownership or interaction with a visiting animal can greatly reduce depression and induce feelings of well-being. This is why there are therapy animals that visit nursing homes and the children's wing of the hospital, and why there are successful programs for troubled children that involve caring for animals as part of their therapy.
Owning a pet forces a depressed person to think about someone other than him or herself, and breaks destructive thinking patterns. Children who struggle with emotional troubles often find solace in the company of animals.
Certainly owning a pet is a big responsibility, and should not be undertaken without careful consideration. But among those considerations should be the emotional advantages.
1 comment:
To pet owner pet is like their family member. i like the information you shared here and points you made here..points like social skills and language proficiency..did get good information.
pet care safe
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