In an article I read recently from Family Process, companion animals have become increasingly important in family life. According to the article, more than 85% of pet owners regard their pets as "family members" and many treat them as important as family members, if not more.
Over 3/4 of children living in the U.S. live with pets. That is more than those living with both parents. The article stated that children without siblings are most strongly bonded to their pets and their pets provide them with a sense of security and companionship.
When I was two, we got our first dog, Bert. We got him about six months before my younger sister was born. He was a big dog, (in fact he was the same breed as Miles, the dog we have now) so the sense of security was already there. My sister and I both shared experiences with him growing up, which shaped us into the dog lovers that we are today. Unfortunately, we lost Bert back in 2003 to bone cancer. That was the first time we have ever experienced the loss of a loved one. With my sister being six at the time and I being nine, it was hard to process the thought of everyday life without him. He taught us many things about life at such a young age like how to share, how to care for something other than yourself, how to love something so much and how to cope when it is no longer there.
The article mentions that many families credit educational and socialization benefits of pets for their children. A mother in the article was quoted saying that her pets bring out the best in her children with responsibility, kindness, affection, and concern for living things. She said that all members of the family developed a much deeper respect for life in general. Pets can help prepare children for later life experiences (i.e. pregnancy, birth, illness/death of a loved one), as it did for my sister and I. It is also common for young adults to choose to raise pets before (or instead of) parenthood to strengthen the skills they need to provide nurturance and affection.
The article touched on this a little bit but after reading the whole thing I thought it would be interesting to do a study on the difference in temperament among people who grew up with a pet throughout childhood and ones who did not. It wasn't until I began really researching therapy dogs that I realized the amount of influence they have on human behavior.
~In Loving Memory~
March 1996-May 2003
"The fear of loving a dog is knowing one day they'll be gone, and you could never find eyes that express all that you feel." - r.m. drake
Animals really are a part of the family! Your background with Bert is so relatable; makes me think of the dog I had when I was little. I would add the link to the Family Process article just to have it available to read, it could spark up conversation with your readers in the comments for their own personal take on it. Otherwise, very touching post, as always!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your suggestion!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I see you applied Julie's feedback. I was thinking, where is the picture of Bert? Then it appeared at the end.
ReplyDelete