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Now that we’re past Christmas are your kids still bugging you about getting a pet? If so, then that’s a good sign that they really want one. I believe most parents dread getting a pet because of the extra mess, work and expense that pets entail. So how do you know if your child is ready for a pet? Do you wish there was a way you could test your child to see how badly they really want a pet? There is! Check out 10 ways to test a child’s desire to own a pet.
- Will they give up their money: Younger children really have no concept of money, but if you have an older child that has birthday money or allowance sitting around this is a good test for them. Ask your child how much money they would be willing to contribute to buying a pet and all the things a pet needs? If your child offers up a dollar or two then you will know their desire is pretty low, but if they are willing to give you every penny then you know they are committed.
- Will they agree to work: This is a tricky one because kids will say a lot of things, but you need to get them to commit to helping with the chores that are required to take care of a pet. If you are thinking about getting a dog then ask your child if they can commit to walking that dog every day. If they say yes, then let them prove it by taking you for a walk every day for a week.
- Are they old enough: You will really have to judge this for yourself, but you can take your child to a friend’s house that has the kind of pet you’re thinking about getting or take them to the pet store and see how they react to the pet. Do they scream and run away? Do they pull the dog or cat’s tail? They may not be old enough yet.
- Can they do research: Again, this may be the older child, but you can also help the younger child do this. Kids are on the computer at school starting in kindergarten so you can help them spell things and suggest sites maybe, but let them tell you what kind of things you need to research on your pet of choice. If they are pretty informed then they may be ready. If they haven’t a clue what is involved then maybe they need to do a bit more research before they get a pet.
- Are they able to sway you with facts: Let your child put together a presentation to convince you to get the pet. If you have a nine year old or older they can totally put together a power point presentation. If you have a younger child they can cut out pictures from magazines or do skits to let you know they are ready to have this pet.
- Can they remember: One big thing that happens when kids get a pet is that they say they will feed and water the pet. Can they remember to do that though? If they think they can give them a test. Set out a couple of bowl on the counter and let them pour cereal into it and put water in the other one and put them back wherever you are keeping them. Sometime during the day you need to dump both bowls so that they can remember to do it again at night or the next morning depending on how you think you will feed the pet. Cats are pretty good with self-regulating and can go with once a day.
- Are they good with pets: Let them play with different types of animals at the pet store and see how they treat them. Are they giggly and just poke the pet? Or can they pick up and hold the pet carefully like you show them and treat the pet with respect?
- Will they get grossed out: This is a big one. All pets poop and part of the maintenance for a pet is cleaning up after them. Ask your child to walk a dog for a friend and take along baggies to pick up the poop. Or if you are getting a cat let your child go over to a friend’s house and clean the litter box.
- Do they have enough time: Pet’s need attention and if your child is on the run from morning until night then they may not have time. Ask the child how much time they can give to caring for the pet. If they are really busy ask them if they would be willing to give up an activity to have a pet. If they say yes then you know they are committed.
- What are they willing to sacrifice: Sometimes having a pet is really inconvenient. You can’t be gone from 8 in the morning until 8 at night and not come home to let the dog out. Of course this test may lead you to think about getting a cat instead of a dog, but I digress. See if your child is willing to give up a day trip or a weekend out of town in order to stay home with the dog. Kids don’t necessarily know that you can hire people to take care of the pet, but just ask to see if they are willing. Bottom line is don’t rush into anything and see if over time their desire stays the say.
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Kids are constantly bombarded with visual images from television, movies, video games and the internet. All this vivid imagery can make reading books seem dull and boring. Unfortunately, children who don’t read much suffer in other academic areas as well. Spelling is the area where kids who don’t read suffer the most. Reading exposes children to a wide range of words and just knowing what the words look like helps them with their spelling skills. If you know children who don’t show and interest in books, here are 10 books that could help get those kids reading.
- Killing Lincoln – This recently released book by Bill O’Reilly is highly recommended for middle school aged kids. Killing Lincoln gives an in depth and realistic depiction of the last days of President Abraham Lincoln in a way that will not only get kids interested in reading, but American history as well.
- Being George Washington – Another historical book that could capture a kid’s imagination is Being George Washington by Glenn Beck. Textbooks just don’t do justice to the amazing life of our first president. Young people can gain a real appreciation of our early American history by reading this riveting book.
- Harry Potter – For children who are more captivated by fantasy, the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling will get them hooked on reading. What kid can resist a story about a young wizard coming of age. Get the box set of all 7 because once your child finishes the first book, he’ll want to dive right into the next.
- Just So Stories – An ageless classic, Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories is great for getting children interested in reading. The fanciful stories include How the Elephant Got His Trunk and How the Leopard Got His spots that will get kids giggling with glee.
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – Set in the fantasy land of Narnia, this book by C.S. Lewis will get your kid hooked on reading. Recommended for ages 8 and up, even though The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was written over 50 years ago, it will hold your child spellbound.
- Sherlock Holmes – Another classic that could get your kids reading is any of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Children will be fascinated by how Holmes can solve mysteries without DNA or any of the modern scientific methods used in shows like CSI. They will not only hone their reading skills, but their powers of observation as well.
- Treasure Island – Young boys have been enthralled with this book for generations, but that doesn’t stop young girls from loving it too. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is the classic pirate story about Long John Silver and his crew of rogues who lead young Jim Hawkins on an adventure of a lifetime.
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – This timeless classic by Mark Twain is another novel that gets children interested in reading. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a humorous and captivating way for kids to learn about life in America during the pre-civil war era of the 1800’s.
- Gulliver’s Travels – Although it was originally written as a political satyr, kids will be enchanted by this classical fantasy by Jonathan Swift. Gulliver’s Travels is about a shipwrecked traveler who ends up in various imaginary lands with strange inhabitants from the very tiny Lilliputians to the huge giants of Brobdingnag.
- Oliver Twist – No child’s appreciation of the classics would be complete without reading Dickens. The orphan Oliver Twist endures a miserable existence in a workhouse until he escapes to London and is caught up in the criminal underworld of the notorious characters Artful Dodger and Fagin.
For children who are resistant to reading, the secret is to find books that they are interested in. Stories about young people help them identify with the characters and relate to the plot. Fantasy and humor are also good ways to get kids hooked on books. Giving them a variety to choose from will help determine what genre captures their imagination. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempts don’t succeed. Once kids find the wonders available to them in books, they’ll be ready to devour every one they can get their hands on.
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“Don’t play with your food!” Every kid has heard that from their parents all through childhood. Maybe it while we were rolling those Brussels sprouts around on our plates. Or it might have been when we absentmindedly built fortresses with our scalloped potatoes. Whatever the reason, our parents would scold us for our creativity.
We think there are some foods that are exceptions to our parents’ rules. Here’s a list of 7 foods that are OK to play with:
- Jell-O – The stuff is so jiggly and colorful, we just can’t see how playing with it could possibly be a bad thing. It’s practically as much toy as it is food.
- Mashed Potatoes – We would go so far as to say that there is no better source of nutrients known to man which is simultaneously as valuable an educational resource for budding sculptors, masons, landscapers and builders.
- Easter Eggs – Here’s a case where the very idea is to have fun, and play with a food item. Of course, you still ought to eat them when playtime is over. Just make sure you’ve made a note somewhere of all the places you’ve hidden them.
- Spaghetti – Let’s face it, you almost have to play with spaghetti to get it on your fork. It even takes two separate utensils sometimes, working in unison, to get that stuff swirled up enough to eat.
- Chewing Gum – There may be more debate as to whether this can be considered a food, than whether it’s fair game for playing with it; but there’s no denying how natural it is to stretch, pop and stash away for safe keeping under your desk, the venerable chewing gum.
- Pumpkin – As in the case of the aforementioned Easter eggs, this one’s a natural. Jack-o-lanterns are a staple for Halloween; but then so is pumpkin pie, so it balances out.
- Alphabet Soup – It’s practically a Scrabble board in a soup bowl, for Pete’s sake. How can you expect a kid to blindly swallow letters from a spoon without first using them to spell out “Missy has the cooties”?
