Hello, everyone. I just thought I would drop a line to all the parents out there who may or may not be having trouble with your child and relationships. My oldest son, now 12 soon to be 13, has had several pets in the course of his life. He has enjoyed the company of all his pets the entire time he has had them. I recently had the opportunity to really see how he reacts to them and how they react to him.
His latest pet is a flopped eared bunny. His whole body is gray and he has bright red eyes. He is so cute when he is playing on my sons bed while my son cleans out his cage. I sat down on the bed to play with Jonah ( the rabbits name ), and he scooted behind me where I couldn't see him. In hindsight I probably shouldn't have wore my orange/red shirt because he nipped me on my side. My son says that I looked like a giant carrot to Jonah. Fun time aside, I watched my son as he cuddled and played with his rabbit and spoke to it and scratched it behind its ear. It's amazing how my son can be so raged one moment and so gentle the next. It's also wonderful to see how Jonah recognizes my son and is very allowing of him to do all the stuff that others may not be allowed to do according to Jonah.
My son has also had, in his life, a hermit crab, and many small fish. He has taken care of all of them the same way and has received much love from all of them in return. I guess the moral of all of this is that a small pet can be just what a special child needs to keep balanced in their everyday lives. I know that my son has felt like noone understands him at times, and it's when he feels that way that his pet can be the greatest consoler he has. If your child is going through a life change, like puberty, or is just unable to reconnect with the world, then maybe purchasing a small pet is just what the doctor ordered.
You have a good point. Because pets are so difficult for us parents, my wife and I have always been so hesitant to allow pets. But we just got a bunny for my youngest daughter, and she is cute with that pets. It's been worth any extra work we have to do.
Posted by: Jon | May 20, 2007 at 07:00 PM