As a mother and a proud owner of a pug (although the jury is still out on who owns whom), I am excited to see a growing body of research confirming extensive benefits of pet ownership for children.
Kids form very special emotional bonds with their four-legged friends and this relationship can have a positive effect on many aspects of their future life. Through interaction with animals children learn about unconditional love, friendship and loyalty, develop compassion and empathy, get better at expressing their care and affection. Studies demonstrate that children with pets tend to have higher levels of emotional intelligence, greater self-esteem and better social skills.
However, the animal magic does not stop at that. Did you know that pet ownership also has health benefits, especially for younger children?
Research shows that children who live with cats and dogs have a much lesser rate of common colds, ear infections and hay fever. It appears that interactions with pets regulates the adaptive immunity somewhat similar to the way vaccines do.
Children are born with an immature immune system which gets “educated” through exposure to various bugs present in the environment. In other words, exposure to pathogens and allergens trains the adaptive immune system to ensure that it is vigilant enough to identify and destroy the harmful bacteria at the next encounter, but not too vigilant to mount an attack against generally harmless substances (as is the case with allergies).
So taking into account the weight of evidence, the next time your kids ask you if they can have a pet, perhaps you might consider saying yes.
