Pets and Plants
Anyone remember the pet rock? It was an idea created by Gary Dahl in 1975. He sold the pet rocks for $4 each and become a millionaire. The sales lasted about six months, yet I can still remember the hype. I just checked and you can still buy them online for $19.95. There have been books written about caring for a pet rock and videos showing you how to train your pet rock to “stay” and “play dead”.
During this time of taking care of ourselves and others by “staying in”, it came to mind how important it is for children to care for things.
Children are capable of understanding the need for care.
They can learn what sacrifice is.
When they comprehend the feeling of not being able to do what they want at times when it is necessary to care for others, Then they begin to feel the satisfaction of having cared for something or someone. This is a great way for them to learn empathy.
Pets are a wonderful way for children to learn love, empathy and care. Most kids truly fall head over heals in love with their pets – even their fish. They learn to think about how their pet might feel if they are cold or hungry, if their basic needs are met or not met. They learn to care for them by feeding them and keeping them comfortable in their environments.
Plants too bring much needed oxygen into our homes. They allow our children to care and nurture a living organism, to watch it grow because of their care and efforts.
There is also the experience of their pets or plants not surviving and the process of grief. A process we need to allow our children to grow through. An opportunity for us to have conversations about the beauty of life and memories.
So, as we are educating our children from home, doing the academics necessary, remember to include the opportunities to teach our children about life, love and caring.
