National Kids & Pet Day – Celebrating the Bond and Relationship That Animals Bring to our Youth
While I clearly love cats and they have always been a part of my life, when I was growing up I also was surrounded by an assortment of dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and more. These were not just animals to me, but beloved family members that were an important part of my heart and soul. Not only did they teach me to be a more responsible person, but they also brought out my tender, caring, and nurturing side and as the years have gone by and I am long grown up, I remain a devoted animal lover who could never imagine a day without them in my life. So when I found out today was National Kids and Pet Day, it really spoke to me as someone who deeply understands how important and treasured the relationship between a child and a pet can be.
I could not possibly list all the reasons why I feel children should grow up with pets, or at the very least, be around them as much as possible, other than I know having a pet can teach lessons on responsibility and care that will be instilled into the moral fabric of the child as they grow into adulthood. Having a pet also promotes feelings of compassion towards living creatures and it can give a child a sense of belonging and importance in a world that can often be stressful and confusing. Let’s face it, much as being a kid is great and we pine as adults for those days gone by, it wasn’t always easy being young and having a pet to confide in, or hug, or take care of without them judging you is a pretty cool deal if you ask me. Pets don’t make fun of you, they don’t ground you, they don’t care if you do your homework, they don’t deal in popularity cliques and they always understand you.
The above image is of sweet twins, Scarlett and Sienna, sharing a spot of tea with their dog, Charlie. To me, this could not be more representative of the special bond between a child and their pet. My thanks to Madalina of Bright Pink Studio for sharing this priceless picture – not only is she the brilliant designer who brought my blog and website concept to life, but she is Mom to these darling girls! The other image is Charlie after the tea party ended and he was completely exhausted! It should also be of note that Charlie is an extra special dog – he only has 3 legs, but to those of us that know and love him, he is as perfect as can be!
And it should be of note as well that a pet does not have to be a traditional pet like a cat or dog. Some children might gravitate towards perhaps a lizard, or fish, or hamsters, or bunnies. As long as that pet is adopted with the intention of a responsible lifelong commitment, then that’s fine. Learning about how to care for these animals, going to adoption organizations, teaching responsibility about giving an animal a safe and loving home are all invaluable life lessons regardless of the species.
And while I find it hard to imagine, not all children like animals or may be scared of them and that has to be respected. In that case, I would still recommend they be exposed to them, but maybe by visiting a friend or relative that might have pets and have them interact in limited increments until they become more comfortable that the animal is not going to hurt them. Or have them watch television shows or movies that are positive and uplifting about pets so that they at least see that animals have feelings and should be treated with respect. I know that when I had an opportunity last year to visit the classroom of 3rd graders my step daughter was teaching to talk about what it was like to write The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey, that they were completely enraptured with the whole process and subject matter. The kids who had pets were so excited to share their stories and those that didn’t really enjoyed learning about all of my cats and the funny predicaments they got themselves into!
Me enjoying some book reading time with the students who clearly loved learning about my family of cats!
Editors Note: Normally I only do one post a day, but in case you missed it, today is also National Hairball Awareness Day and I have done another fun post in conjunction with the folks at FURminator that you won’t want to miss! Click here for details.
I agree with you on children having pets. Unfortunately I know families where the adults are afraid of cats and have unknowingly passed that fear on to their children. It’s so sad because they are missing out on so much.
Yeah… it’s sad when adults project their own fears onto their children, Maio. That’s why I firmly believe that even if a child does not have a pet, that they be exposed to animals so that they can at least experience for themselves how special animals are.
a great post Deb; one of your kids in picture one with the calico ?? priceless =^..^=
da tabbies – I agree with you – I LOVE that picture and that precious little one is actually Scarlett – one of the twins who was sharing the tea party with her sister Sienna and Charlie the dog!
I had no idea this “day” existed but glad it does! Children and animals are a natural, especially beginning at that age when children and animals experience the world on that pre-verbal or more visual, less verbal level together. Just living with an animal reminds us that .we humans are not the only creatures on earth. Thanks for the photos!
You are welcome, Bernadette. I found out about the day because I accidently stumbled upon someone else talking about it! I agree that animals and children do connect on that less verbal level together and I was always fascinated when my boys were growing up, how our pets treated them. For example, we had a German Sheppard mix – he was such as smart and tolerant dog. His level of play was completely different with me, versus my ex-husband, versus my small boys. He always knew to be more gentle with them and I loved him so much for that!
I love this post! As someone who grew up with a wide range of pets*, I can attest to the truth of what you’ve wirtten! Great photos, as always, too. 🙂
(* – dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, lizards, fish, etc.)
That’s great meowmeowmans! I love hearing how us cat people have a love for a wide range of pets! Glad you enjoyed the pictures!
Well we had a cat, gerbils, guineapigs and tropical fish, but I always wanted a dog! But never was allowed 🙁 I agree with you, children need to have something to care for as they grow up. x
That’s cool that you had all those pets, CATachresis… dogs are great, but I don’t see one in Austin’s future!
I grew up with a variety of pets. We always had some sort of finny, furry or feathered friend around and generally more than one! My daughter also grew up with pets – dogs, cats, a bunny, fish and hermit crabs. It has been shown that having pets teaches kids empathy – something that is so important in a world sadly lacking this quality.
Your life was a lot like mine, Vicki! I love the word empathy and agree with you entirely… we could use a large dose of it in today’s world.