Let Children Help with Pet Care

←Older revision		Revision as of 00:16, 27 October 2019
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−	Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)"Please let me help. I can do it ." Many parents have heard this plea. It's great that your child wants to help out with pet care, but you might not feel prepared to let them care for another living being. Here's how to monitor your child as they help with a pet.	+	Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)"Please let me help. I can do it." Many parents have heard this plea. It's great that your child wants to help out with pet care, but you might not feel prepared to let them care for another living being. Here's how to monitor your child as they help with a pet.
	[[Category:Family Life]]		[[Category:Family Life]]
	[[Category:Pets and Animals]]		[[Category:Pets and Animals]]
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	#* A child with anger problems or a history of making hasty decisions probably should not be trusted around a pet.		#* A child with anger problems or a history of making hasty decisions probably should not be trusted around a pet.
	#Give them tasks appropriate to their age. A five-year-old might not have hands gentle enough to brush the pet. A seven-year-old might not have a mind developed enough to remember complex tasks, like cleaning a fish tank or how to properly pick up a pet.[[Image:Let Children Help with Pet Care Step 2.jpg|center]]		#Give them tasks appropriate to their age. A five-year-old might not have hands gentle enough to brush the pet. A seven-year-old might not have a mind developed enough to remember complex tasks, like cleaning a fish tank or how to properly pick up a pet.[[Image:Let Children Help with Pet Care Step 2.jpg|center]]
−	#* An example of potentially age-appropriate tasks is: 4-6:Feeding.7-8:Play and exercise.9+:Habitat cleanup. (However, each child is different, and some pets are more fragile than others. This must be taken into account.)	+	#* An example of potentially age-appropriate tasks is: 4-6:Feeding.7-8:Play and exercise.9+:Habitat cleanup. However, each child is different, and some pets are more fragile than others. This must be taken into account.
	#Monitor their activities with the animal. If they make a mistake, you can catch it so they will know better next time. This will also give you an idea of how much responsibility they can take with a pet; perhaps they are surprisingly capable and can take on some more responsibility. Conversely, they might not be as good at it as you had hoped, and hence must be watched at all times. [[Image:Let Children Help with Pet Care Step 4.jpg|center]]		#Monitor their activities with the animal. If they make a mistake, you can catch it so they will know better next time. This will also give you an idea of how much responsibility they can take with a pet; perhaps they are surprisingly capable and can take on some more responsibility. Conversely, they might not be as good at it as you had hoped, and hence must be watched at all times. [[Image:Let Children Help with Pet Care Step 4.jpg|center]]
	#* Watch your child for a while every time you give them a new responsibility.		#* Watch your child for a while every time you give them a new responsibility.
	# Let them do something simple that will make them feel that they are helping. For example, you could let them make a sign for the dog house.[[Image:Let Children Help with Pet Care Step 3.jpg|center]]		# Let them do something simple that will make them feel that they are helping. For example, you could let them make a sign for the dog house.[[Image:Let Children Help with Pet Care Step 3.jpg|center]]
−	# Remember that everyone makes mistakes. It's part of the learning curve. If your child makes a small mistake, correct them gently. If they make a serious mistake, let them take a lesson from it: that life is fragile and precious, or that when you have a pet, its health and well-being is entirely in your hands. Additionally, you might want to have them go back to a smaller responsibility (or, if you feel it is appropriate, stop letting them help entirely).	+	# Remember that everyone makes mistakes. It's part of the learning curve. If your child makes a small mistake, correct them gently. If they make a serious mistake, let them take a lesson from it: that life is fragile and precious, or that when you have a pet, its health and well-being is entirely in your hands. Additionally, you might want to have them go back to a smaller responsibility or, if you feel it is appropriate, stop letting them help entirely.
	== Warnings ==		== Warnings ==
	*Don't let children work with potentially dangerous pets.		*Don't let children work with potentially dangerous pets.
	*Make sure the child knows exactly how to handle the pet; even the gentlest pet will snap back in self-defense if you hurt it.		*Make sure the child knows exactly how to handle the pet; even the gentlest pet will snap back in self-defense if you hurt it.

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