Are Pets a Must Have for Kids?

[Anonymous]

We have cats- got them as a bonded pair. They are very affectionate and our kids adore them. They also calm the kids when they are upset and go sit on their laps if they cry about something. The crying immediately stops. It’s pretty amazing.

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have cats- got them as a bonded pair. They are very affectionate and our kids adore them. They also calm the kids when they are upset and go sit on their laps if they cry about something. The crying immediately stops. It’s pretty amazing.

+1 Two cats, not just one cat, is the way to go. The cats keep each other entertained and aren't that much more work than one cat. The chores associated with a cat are easy to assign to kids as well and you can leave them for a long weekend without issue. My DCs love our cats and they haven't lost interest in the 6 years we've had them. Having said that, we got lucky with two affectionate cats. If I had to do it all over again, I would be sure to seek that out because I think that's the difference between basically sharing a house with a cat and having a true pet.

[Anonymous]

DH and I both grew up without pets and don’t feel we missed out (either then or now, looking back). I think having a pet would be a wonderful experience to give our kids but it’s not in the cards with three kids and two demanding careers with limited family support nearby.

I’m looking forward to possibly getting a dog as an empty nester but that’s another thread.

[Anonymous]

I think so, but that's just me. I can't imagine growing up without them.

[Anonymous]

I just don’t think you can compare dogs and cats in this case.

If you get a cat, taking care of it consists of putting food into a bowl twice a day and cleaning their litter box. You can be gone all day and they just take care of themselves.

Dogs require so much more time, effort and energy. Being gone for long stretches and travel are so much more stressful and require more $$ and planning.

I’m not anti-dog by the way. I think they’re great. I just feel like they’re not even close to equal in terms of how much care they require.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, and it is better to grow up without pets than to grow up with a pet who the family doesn't have the time or motivation to care for, train, etc.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how there are a lot of things that parents get pressured into believing are essential for a good childhood, and how many of them are massive burdens that can go very wrong. A pet is in this category. The other one's I can think of are: having more kids to give your child the experience of siblings or in the hopes they will become close; certain expensive experiences like Disneyland or travel sports.

Now, all of those things can be great! If you actually want to do them, have the resources to dedicate to them, and they make sense for your actual kids (instead of some theoretical generic kid). But telling parents that if they don't adopt a dog, have at least 2 kids, spend 8k on a trip to Disneyland, or get their kids into travel soccer, their children will grow up incorrectly and resent them forever could cause more problems than it solves.

+1. I love pets and they add a ton of joy to our home, but like others have said, no children have everything "everyone else" has, and children do not need everything to have a good childhood. Pets are expensive and a lot of extra work. Expose them to pets so they don't grow up with fears and phobias, but don't make a 15ish year commitment to an animal just because you think you should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do I have to let my elementary aged kids have either a dog or cat? Are they missing out if they don't grow up with a pet at all? Am I depriving my kids by not getting a pet? I feel like it's a ton of work (if you want to be a good pet owner), cost $$ & time, inconvenient when we travel, etc. Also, with 2 working parents (not WFH) & kids' busy sports schedule, we are not at the house a lot except late nights, in other words, I feel like we can't give the pet enough attention if we had one. Your thoughts?

It appears that you have never known the unbelievable unconditional love of a dog. Dogs can become a child's best friend. My mother passed away shortly after my 4th birthday and I refused to talk for six months with any human but I poured my heart out to the dog. Animals are intuitive and they know when someone needs love. I remember once putting my head against his neck and sobbing and I swear to you that he put his paw around me. My dog gave me so much more than I could ever have given him and I hope there is really a Rainbow Ridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Everyone needs a dog. They are magic.

This. I wouldn't say this to your face, OP, but I do feel like people who do not have a dog are realllllly missing out.

They truly are!