Parenting with Pets: The Magic of Raising Children with Animals

by Margaret Hevel, Christine Hamer, Christine Hamer & Margaret Hevel

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1887542582
• ISBN13: 9781887542586
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Book Publishers Network
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

For anyone thinking about adding a pet to their family.

Parenting with Pets explains how important a pet can be to children of all ages. Pets can provide someone for a child to talk too and often help you find the soft spot in those that are rough around the edges. Even at two and a half my Son helps us walk the dog. He has also learned how to pet her gently as she is a small dog. Parenting with Pets helps you to make teachable moments with children of all ages and their pet(s). My husband always says "our dog will be the source of a very tough conversation one day." I remember growing up when our dog had kidney failure and had to be put to sleep. I was in college. Our children will be much younger when our precious pet moves on. The Circle of Life chapter was very informative on how to handle this subject. I was encouraged by the words in this book not to let the fear of a pet passing over shadow the positive affects a pet can have on the family. This is a book I will be coming back to before we add another pet to our home. In the chapter Will Any Pet Do? the authors write about a variety or common pets and provide detailed information on the pest, the cost and time commitment necessary. While I am not sure I would do well with a rat or guinea pig it is important to discuss all the pet options as a family and decide which one will fit best with your family when the time comes.

THE pet resource for parents!

I found this book to be VERY informative and interesting. I would go as far to say - IF you are thinking of getting your child a pet, READ this book first. Not only will you have a good idea of WHAT type of pet is better suited to YOUR child, but you'll know the reason WHY your child should have a pet, including: 1. Companionship: Pets don't discriminate and they don't judge. At Purdue University Center for the Human-Animals Bond, Dr. Alan Beck found that nearly seventy percent of children confide in their pets. The children said that they knew their pets would not betray them or their secrets. 2) Responsibility: Children provide the pet with food, water, and clean housing and in the process, discover that they are needed and relied upon in a way they most likely have not experienced before. Assuming responsibility, at its deepest level means children learn to be responsible for themselves, for their actions and hopefully for the global community. 3) Non-verbal communication: Brenda Bryant, a University of California-Davis Applied Behavioral Science Professor found children with pets have increased verbal skills-becoming more attuned to nonverbal communication as a result of interactions with their pet ("reading" their pet's body language). These children also demonstrated the ability to draw the correct conclusions about emotions from human faces more accurately than those from homes without a pet. AND another study showed that kids that get bullied are not good at reading non-verbal communication...So a pet could cut down on bullying! Yup, the book covers ALOT. I liked how she broke down the age groups and how they handle emotions and their psychological and intellectual challenges. It is interesting to think about this when selecting a pet. I grew up with dogs and cats (and hamsters and fish), so I understand all the benefits of having a pet, but the book helped me to make valid choice regarding a possible pet recently, based on the psychological/physical limits of my child, as explained in the book! Hamer uses real life scenarios to bring home her points, for those who may not have grown up with pets and it is a great addition to the book! I can't recommend this book enough! If you know of someone looking at getting a pet for the kids- recommend they read this book- they'll be happy you did!

In-depth resource for children and pets

Parenting with Pets is an in-depth resource for anyone who is considering (or already has) pets. The authors use personal stories and interesting studies to help keep the attention of the reader. The authors talk about the changing roles of pets throughout a child's life (preschool, early elementary, adolescent, young adult) as well as the benefits and responsibilities during these ages. It goes into how pets can help children (and parents) communicate about topics such as birth, reproduction, and death. Finally, the authors go into deciding which pet (if any) would be a best fit for your family. The book includes several pages of helpful resources at the end. There is a good bit of technical information included in this book, but the personal stories and studies woven throughout the book help achieve a good balance. If you are looking for a book that will tell you why pets and children can be a good mix, this book will, most likely, be a good fit for you. Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author for the purpose of this review.

Must Read !

Very thoughful and well written. Excellent for anyone thinking about, or already owning, pets around children. Highly recommend.

A truely wonderful and heart warming experience

I was curious when I first ordered parenting with pets. And once I started into it I simply couldn't stop. Speaking as an experienced parent, there is countless knowledge to be gained from this book, as well as heart warming stories from other parents and pet owners. In other words, Parenting with Pets deserves five stars and is a must buy for anyone who is thinking about parenting, is already parent, or simply loves pets!