A vetrinary surgeon has urged more families to consider getting a pet, as they could help your children prepare and ‘get ahead’ in life.
A vet known as Dr Courtney Campbell a veterinary surgeon and a media personality who has appeared on a wide verity of TV shows, including Good Morning America and Nat Geo Wild.
Appearing on a video for WebMD’s social media, Dr Courtney explained how most children would benefit in several ways by having a pet in their family.
“Almost everyday, people ask me ‘what’s the best pet for my kid?’,” he said at the start of the TikTok video. “Well, it depends on the personality of your kids and the needs of the pet. But here are five reasons why kids with pets are just a little better off.”
Dr Courtney went on to explain five reasons why children could benefit from living around a pet of any kind.
1. Social interaction
Dr Courtney explained: “No matter the species, pets just bring a new level of social interaction between other people and the family.”
According to one study published in 2017, there is evidence for an association with increased social competence, social networks, social interaction and social play behaviour in children when they grow up with a pet in the household.
2. Self-esteem
“Number two, self-esteem,” Dr Courtney continued. “A child’s attitude towards him or herself improves when there’s a pet around.”
In the same study, there was also evidence that a child’s attitude towards themselves and their overall self-esteem grew. This was especially noticable for children in their young teens.
“While one reason for this was the decreased feeling of loneliness from having a pet around, researchers also argued it came from the reduced stress-levels, as the pet showed to help their owners feel less stressed overall.
3. Togetherness
Dr Courtney explained: “Pets respond eagerly to care and attention and that unconditional love helps to hold families together.”
4. Psychosocial support
“After a stressful day at school or work, an enthusiastic greeting and that non-judgemental support – it just feels amazing,” Dr Courtney explained, saying this also helps with a child’s overall self-esteem and mood.
He continued to explain: “And for a single parent household, according to a major study, children in single parent families have significantly higher levels of bonding with pets than they do in two parent families.”
5. Help prepare for future life experiences
Not matter what pet you might be interested in getting, Dr Courtney said that growing up with a pet will help children prepare for life .
“Pets just help prepare children for later life experiences, including pregnancy, birth, or even the death of a loved one,” he explained. “So kids and pets go together.”
