What Pets Can Teach Us
A few weeks ago, I introduced our pet bunnies here on Hive. They are named Cookie and Bun-Bun. They have connected with us already - super clingy pets that I can almost liken to puppies. They love following us around (around means our small porch area) just by our villa entrance.
- Responsibility
The @divinekids love animals and these cute new additions to our household have become a big part of their day. Of course, with keeping pets come responsibility and we all have our share in this.
Every morning, the kids need to make sure that they clean up any droppings that these bunnies left overnight. Cookie and Bun-Bun have a litter box but I think when it becomes filled with lots of poop, then they wouldn't do it in there anymore. Besides, would you use dirty toilets?
The contents of the litter box (grass and droppings) all go to our compost to be used in our garden. Yey! We now have a natural fertilizer source.
What they all love to do is to feed these lovies. They would go and get water spinach from our garden and feed to the bunnies. Seriously, these bunnies eat a lot and I am scared we will run out of water spinach for our own consumption very soon. LOL.
- Emotions
The kids would go out and play with the bunnies whenever they would feel overwhelmed with school work. They teach them tricks (ahhhm, can bunnies we taught tricks?) and just well, simply hang around with them.
With all the fondness and attachment the kids develop towards their pets, they dread the day that their pets would be gone. They experienced pets who got lost, sick, and died. I cannot forget how heartbroken my youngest was when our pet kitten, Maxxie left us too soon when he got so sick out of the blue. That the first ever loss that my son really cried so hard over a pet.
- Love and Respect for Nature
As they interact with their pets, they also learn how to love and respect nature in general. They would feed stray kittens that wander around our villa and the birds that build their nests in our little vegetable garden.
Learning how the animals behave also opens their eyes to their needs. They learned to respect the space these animals need, just as we as humans also need ours.
Fantastic blog and so true, pets provide the ability to teach kids how to nurture and the value of life. My kids absolutely adore our golden retriever who is placid. Another skill is personal space, our cat on the other hand doesn't like to be bothered too much and let's just say over the years the little one has learned when the cat doesn't want to play, it doesn't want to play.
Thank you!
They've been requesting pets and here they go. They have new playmates and it's a whole fun and enriching experience.
This made me remember when my son got a chicken pet which I also shared here at Hive, he cried when we sent his chicken to my wife's family back in the nearby city.
Oh, cool! My kids still associate chicken to the one my father butchered one time we went home to the PH for vacation. Well at least we got some anatomy lessons there. 😄
We have many pets as well! It does help the kids to learn a lot of responsibilities. We have a rabbit called Buns, some ducks, chickens, cats, dogs, goats, and sheep. They rotate chores with the animals every day and the kids all have a favorite. Speaking of, no one fed Buns before they went to bed and he is letting me know! I better get off of here and feed him.
We can only afford to have this much pets as we live in a small rented apartment. I'm looking forward though, to when we will be back in the Philippines and have the chance to have more animals around. Yours seem to be a busy yard!
Ah, that makes sense! We have gone through different animals and learned a lot from them!
Rabbits are so cute... ¡I love them!
Oh yes! Super adorable.