Parenting is a tricky job. As a parent, you need to have a whole new outlook on life. Every decision you take should be in favour of your child’s growth and development. From the very first day, you have to raise your child as a responsible, empathetic and sensible human being. Therefore your child should be allowed to learn those qualities from early childhood. And what else could teach to be a good human being than having your kids raised with a pet dog?
Dogs love to be around children. And children love them too. Every child begs for a dog at some point in time. However, all parents are not kind enough to grant their child’s wish, which is only normal. Children only think about the fun that a dog brings to the house. Whereas, parents apprehend the extra chores related to a dog.
Moreover, there is an added burden of finance that comes with adopting a dog. But do you know having a pet dog around your son or daughter is beneficial for the physical and mental wellbeing of him or her? Let’s know the ways a pet dog helps in your child’s personal and societal growth. Whereas the list never ends, here is the tip of the iceberg.
Table of Contents
Does not grow into a selfish person:
Having someone beside while growing up makes a child generous. Your child will wake up with the dog beside her. From saving breakfast to dinner she will have the fluff ball staring at her with greedy eyes. One has to give out some morsels to the big baby with four legs. While in bed, your child has to leave good space for the dog (or else the dog could sleep on your child). This kind of small habits will make your child a generous person. It is similar to having a sibling except for the heated arguments.
Learns to take responsibility:
Caring for a living creature makes your child a responsible human being from an early age. It is a significant life lesson for your kid. One might say there are other ways of teaching responsibility in a child. A child can be asked to arrange her toys, or to keep things at the right places, or to clean her cool bicycle once in a week. Well, these habits generate a sense of responsibility in a child. But these are different kinds of responsibility from taking care of a creature.
You can ask your child to feed the dog or take the dog to walk. Make it a routine. Make your daughter know that she has to feed her doggo. If it is just an occasional chore that will be done by anyone if not by her, no sense of responsibility would grow.
Helps to grow emotional intelligence:
Developing EQ (emotional quotient) of your child is as important as developing her IQ (intelligence quotient). Owning and petting a dog allows your child opportunities to develop compassion, empathy and similar qualities. Caring for a living being (not to tell the overloaded cuteness) will increase sensibility and sympathy in your child. Feeding, walking or picking after it will require a person to come out of her selfish being. So having a dog is a helpful exercise for developing your child’s EO level.
Dogs help in reducing negative emotions like anxiety, depression, aggression, anger and many more. Having lower levels of these negative emotional components is good for the EQ levels of your child.
Moreover, with a lovely friend around the house, your child learns great lessons of friendship and companionship. Finally, she becomes a good person who is capable of being an excellent friend.
Increases self-esteem:
With a dog beside her, your daughter would think herself as the more sensible one between the pair. While she takes full responsibility for the four-legged fluff, she feels superior. This boosts her self-esteem. Other than walking, feeding, and bathing, works like washing the dog’s plate, pouring water into its pot, brushing its fur to look for bugs will generate a feeling of accomplishment.
Betterment of the immune system:
Dogs are good for developing a better immunity system in your child. It has been shown by various scientific reports that children who grow up with dogs have a better immune system. A study has found out that children who have at least one parent suffering from respiratory allergies can fight the same disease better with a dog around them than without.
Children who live with a pet dog during the first years of their lives need a shorter course of medication than those who did not have a dog. It is believed that having a dog around boosts the power of your child’s immune system. Thanks to the puddle of drool!
Playing and exercise partner:
Now a day, kids are cooped up into their small bedrooms and within the screens of their smartphones. They have fewer friends as well. In a situation like that, exercising is a forgotten thing. If you get your child a dog, she has to take it outside and walk with it. And you know these little fur babies love to play.
You would not believe your eyes when you see your little tech-savvy princess running after her furry friend in the open field. Both your child and your dog have exercise needs. It will be the best plan to let them complement each other.
Social interaction:
Sometimes children are introvert. Sometimes they feel a lot of pressure to meet the expectation of a social scenario. The root cause of this behaviour might be a gap in her social interaction skills. With a constant friend in the house, your child can break free of that shackle. She can make new friends while walking the dog.
So, among other parenting tricks, owning a dog is a fun one. A dog in the house is not only a fun member but has a positive effect on your little child as well. Give your child a dog and see how wonderfully she matures.
