Your Child's First Pet: A Parent's Guide to Ensuring Success
Author
Amy Brayfield
Publisher
Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.
4 Review Copies Left
Every child wants a pet from the moment they first lay eyes on a furry little kitten or puppy, they probably want one for themselves and yet the process of getting and teaching your child how to raise that pet can be quite complex. However, the experience can be enormously useful in teaching them life skills that will one day help them better understand responsibility and proper care for others. But, how do you balance all of that in those first crucial days? This book provides a detailed walkthrough of how best to acclimate a child to raising a pet and ensuring the pet you get your child is one they can handle and that will thrive in their care. You will learn how to begin the process of selecting the right pet for your family and your child. You will be walked through the detailed process of understanding your child s personality type and coming to terms with their maturity level and the pets that best match that maturity level. You will learn what specific needs the most common pets need, including food, water, outside care, and additional medical needs and costs. You will learn the average life spans, common diseases, and other issues that might affect your child s pet, and how to handle these situations with your child. Dozens of hours of interviews have been conducted with top pet and child psychology experts to provide detailed information about what children need to understand most before getting their own pet. You will learn how to discuss the important of responsibility and how to monitor their actions. You will learn how to maintain the pet s health and how to recognize warning signs if your child becomes overwhelmed. For anyone who has a child yearning for a pet that is wondering if they are ready, this book is designed for you.
Reviews
Every child wants a pet; it may be a cat, a dog, a gerbil, a mouse, or a bird. It may even be a snake, a lizard, or a turtle. But, every child doesn't understand or even fathom what it takes to own a pet; in fact, many parents don't know either unless they've had a pet themselves.
Aside from the dedication to taking care of a pet, children learn responsibility and nurturing skills. Regardless of what type of pet one has, care is of ultimate importance. Care takes time.
Any Brayfield covers various types of pets; from the common to the uncommon: dogs, cats, birds, fish and other small pets such as Guinea Pigs, rats, hamsters, gerbils, lizards and other reptiles. She also covers areas such as: What your pet needs, finding the right animal, responsibilities and care, providing basic needs, etc. I really don't think she missed anything.
Although I no longer have small children I did experience having pets when they were small. Like in most cases the children wanted the pets and within a short time lost interest in taking full responsibility for their care. This is something I didn't anticipate and learned that if the children wanted pets I also needed to want the pets. This is something that I stress to any parent when a child wants a pet.
Acclimating the child and the pet takes time and often much longer than anticipated. Not every child nor every pet adjusts the same and Brayfield addresses these issues. I believe Brayfield covered every aspect parents need to know before saying yes to acquiring a pet for their child. I encourage parents to read this book before they purchase or adopt a pet for their child - it may be one of the most important decisions you make.
Reviewed on 04/02/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Irene Watson
