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Tag: healthy kids

9 Ways Pets Help Raise Good, Healthy Kids

As kids get older, they find themselves having friends who own pets. From dogs and cats to birds and hamsters, its inevitable they will be asking their parents if they, too, can become pet owners. With pet ownership being a big responsibility, some parents hesitate on giving their blessing. However, as scientists have done research on the benefits of pet ownership as it pertains to children, you might find yourself more eager than ever to drive to the local pet store or animal shelter. There are numerous ways pets help children!

If you have found that your children have had more than their share of ailments, owning a pet could change all that. Based on research published in the Journal of Pediatrics, kids who had pets in their home while they were infants were found to have 31 percent fewer respiratory infections and 44 percent fewer ear infections. When looking for a reason to explain this, scientists determined that being pets help expose them to dirt, dander, and pollen made the children’s immune systems much stronger at an early age, making it a bit easier to clean up after Fido or Fluffy.

And speaking of cleaning up after pets, kids who own pets have also been found to grow up to become very responsible adults. According to researchers, owning pets that they are responsible for feeding, grooming, playing with, and cleaning up after on a daily basis shows children the importance of responsibility, organizational skills, and maintaining a regular daily schedule.

But if you’re more interested in having a child who’s a great student, you’ll be happy to know pets help contribute to this as well. According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, kids who own pets are much more self-confident, have higher self-esteem, and are better able to make friends and perform better in school, particularly in literacy. By having pets who willingly sit and listen to them read while not criticizing them for an occasional mistake, children’s confidence levels go sky high.

If you need even more reasons why its great for kids to own pets, pay a visit to www.catological.com/9-ways-pets-help-raise-kids/

9 Ways Pets Help Raise Good, Healthy Kids