Benefits of Pets: The role of pets is very special in developing the child's mind.

Benefits of Pets: If you have a pet at home, you know how happy you and your kids are when you come home. Especially for your kids, no matter what their day at school, their faces instantly light up when they see their pet approaching you. Besides, what could be a better loyal, friendly companion for your kids than their four-legged friends?

Research published in 2017 in Anthrozoo by the RAND Corporation states that children who grow up with pets have better health, fewer behavioral and learning problems. They are more obedient and physically active and can handle mood swings.

Boosts self esteem

Childhood, and especially adolescence, can be a time characterized by rapid fluctuations in self-image and self-esteem. Increases self-esteem, a sense of togetherness, calmness, the power to accept oneself and others. It can help children with anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. Pets can provide comfort, emotional support, and reassurance to children, especially when they are feeling angry, upset or sad.

Enhances cognitive development

Studies have indicated that interacting regularly with a pet can accelerate language acquisition and enhance children's verbal skills. This may be because the pet acts as a listener to the infant's babbling and encourages speech by providing encouragement for praise, reprimand or affection. Having a pet home can improve executive functioning performance, including knowledge about language, planning ability, and cognition, thus improving academic performance.

Helps to cope with loneliness

Research states that pets can combat loneliness and thus help better deal with depression and anxiety. High school students who owned pets had lower scores in tests of loneliness than those who did not own pets. Most of the research in this area has been done on teenagers. The impact of pet ownership on loneliness in young children is yet to be explored, with platforms such as MerlinWand doing so through personalized books celebrating the pet-child relationship.