Prepare for the Pet

If you do decide to go ahead and get a pet for your child, then make sure you and your child are prepared for it.

Make your child understand that the pet is a living being. It too needs to be fed, trained and taken well care of.

Is your child willing to take on this responsibility?

Children often develop allergies at a young age to animal hair. So make sure your child is not allergic to it. Animals are also carriers of life-threatening diseases, so be aware of the risks!

Don't bring home a huge Labrador if you live in a small apartment. 'Negotiate' with your child and come to a truce about having a smaller pet for a smaller apartment. Similarly, an expensive, high maintenance pet will be expensive to maintain! Can you afford one?

Bringing home an animal is not quite the same as bringing home vegetables! Remember to do your preliminary research about the animal, the environment it needs, food and health patterns. Also, find out the location of the nearest veterinarian. Make sure your child reads up about the animal and how to take care of it.

Remember, your pet needs attention and care. You need to be mentally prepared for this addition to your family. If your child cannot devote time to her new pet, then don't get one!

Pet Peeves!

Buying a pet is always easy, but the responsibility of being its adoptive family is the difficult part!

Now that you have a pet make sure your child does not mistreat the animal. If you have given your child the responsibility of feeding the pet, then don't let the animal go hungry.  Your child should not forget to feed it or overfeed it.

Take your pet for regular check ups to the vet and make sure your child goes along. Assign her the task of bathing the pet and get other members of the family involved as well!

Remember, having a pet at your child's insistence is a great idea only if your child is ready to accept responsibility! Weigh your pros and cons and then make your decision.