Spending quality time with animals can do wonders for kid's development. I've seen the impact it made on my daughter and I will continue to seek opportunities for these interactions.
However, children are still learning right from wrong, and I've seen so many situations when adults don't provide any guidelines when it comes to playing with pets. This can jeopardise the integrity of the animal and the child.
Here I've compiled a few things you should keep in mind when you allow your kid to interact with animals.
Let me start by clarifying exactly where my experience comes from. We have two dogs at home, so we had to teach our daughter from very early on how to have a safe and healthy relationship with them. My mom grows chickens in her house in Russia, so Sofia had the opportunity to observe and care for them when we visited my family about a year ago. She has also interacted with cats, goats, horses, pigs and camels either on our camping trips or in Mexican/American zoos. All of my advice comes from observing my daughter and mistakes she sometimes makes and trying to correct them so that both my daughter and the animal are safe and comfortable.
So, there you go. I'm no expert, I'm just a mom. You've been warned. If you feel like I'm doing something wrong, please feel free to point that out in the comments. I appreciate any feedback.
Do not hurt is an obvious thing to start with. If you are letting your kid near an animal, you must make sure he/she is not going to harm it in any way. As an advanced species, we have a responsibility to treat nature and all of it's living creatures with kindness and respect.
Appropriate timing is very important for your child's sake. If the animal is eating/sleeping/training, you shouldn't bother it. If the animal is working or being trained (horses, police/service/shepherd dogs etc.) you must always ask for its handler's permission. They will either let you know when is a good time to approach or tell you that it's not ok altogether. If the animal is eating or resting or being otherwise busy with something, please do not approach it. A lot of them might be aggressive when disturbed. If they are curious about you and want to interact, trust me, they'll approach you on their own.
Be extra careful around excited animals. Anyone who has ever met a super-out-of-this-world-friendly dog will know what I'm talking about. Excited animals jump and run like crazy and they don't always see where they are going. Be sure to warn your kid about this. Sometimes little playtime accidents can be quite upsetting.
Be aware that animals don't always know when they are playing too rough. It's not their fault. Sometimes, you'll be able to correct it, sometimes it's better for everyone to take a step back and let each other cool off.
Do not force animals to play or interact if they don't want to. I've seen so many parents allowing their children to follow a dog/cat/bird that's clearly not in the mood for being touched. If an animal is walking away it's a clear indication that it's not interested in you anymore. Do not follow them, do not force them to be touched or carried. It is not ok.
Respect animals. For their emotional integrity, please be considerate of their needs, physical and mental state. If it's too difficult to keep in mind, just imagine that it's another human and not an animal. Would you let your kid go and bother other people when they are eating? Would you let them wake a resting person up? Will you allow them to insist on playing/talking/touching if the other person expresses that they don't want to do that anymore? Will you let them interrupt someone during work? Pull their hair? Shove them or force to move in any way? Grab them and force them to stay? I don't think so. If it's not ok to do to a human, it's not ok to do it to an animal. Plain and simple.
At the end of the day, it's all about considering both parties rights and being aware of the situation. Keep an eye on the animal's body language. Keep an eye on your kid. And keep in mind the well-being of both.
Thank you for reading.
However, children are still learning right from wrong, and I've seen so many situations when adults don't provide any guidelines when it comes to playing with pets. This can jeopardise the integrity of the animal and the child.
Here I've compiled a few things you should keep in mind when you allow your kid to interact with animals.
Let me start by clarifying exactly where my experience comes from. We have two dogs at home, so we had to teach our daughter from very early on how to have a safe and healthy relationship with them. My mom grows chickens in her house in Russia, so Sofia had the opportunity to observe and care for them when we visited my family about a year ago. She has also interacted with cats, goats, horses, pigs and camels either on our camping trips or in Mexican/American zoos. All of my advice comes from observing my daughter and mistakes she sometimes makes and trying to correct them so that both my daughter and the animal are safe and comfortable.
So, there you go. I'm no expert, I'm just a mom. You've been warned. If you feel like I'm doing something wrong, please feel free to point that out in the comments. I appreciate any feedback.
Do not hurt is an obvious thing to start with. If you are letting your kid near an animal, you must make sure he/she is not going to harm it in any way. As an advanced species, we have a responsibility to treat nature and all of it's living creatures with kindness and respect.
Appropriate timing is very important for your child's sake. If the animal is eating/sleeping/training, you shouldn't bother it. If the animal is working or being trained (horses, police/service/shepherd dogs etc.) you must always ask for its handler's permission. They will either let you know when is a good time to approach or tell you that it's not ok altogether. If the animal is eating or resting or being otherwise busy with something, please do not approach it. A lot of them might be aggressive when disturbed. If they are curious about you and want to interact, trust me, they'll approach you on their own.
Be extra careful around excited animals. Anyone who has ever met a super-out-of-this-world-friendly dog will know what I'm talking about. Excited animals jump and run like crazy and they don't always see where they are going. Be sure to warn your kid about this. Sometimes little playtime accidents can be quite upsetting.
Be aware that animals don't always know when they are playing too rough. It's not their fault. Sometimes, you'll be able to correct it, sometimes it's better for everyone to take a step back and let each other cool off.
Do not force animals to play or interact if they don't want to. I've seen so many parents allowing their children to follow a dog/cat/bird that's clearly not in the mood for being touched. If an animal is walking away it's a clear indication that it's not interested in you anymore. Do not follow them, do not force them to be touched or carried. It is not ok.
Respect animals. For their emotional integrity, please be considerate of their needs, physical and mental state. If it's too difficult to keep in mind, just imagine that it's another human and not an animal. Would you let your kid go and bother other people when they are eating? Would you let them wake a resting person up? Will you allow them to insist on playing/talking/touching if the other person expresses that they don't want to do that anymore? Will you let them interrupt someone during work? Pull their hair? Shove them or force to move in any way? Grab them and force them to stay? I don't think so. If it's not ok to do to a human, it's not ok to do it to an animal. Plain and simple.
At the end of the day, it's all about considering both parties rights and being aware of the situation. Keep an eye on the animal's body language. Keep an eye on your kid. And keep in mind the well-being of both.
Thank you for reading.
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