Perhaps your child has always wanted a pet, and perhaps, for a variety of reasons, you’ve always said no. It could be time to reconsider, especially if your child is now a teenager.

Teenagers can gain many important benefits from having a pet, and it might actually be the best thing you can do for them. Read on to find out why teenagers and pets go together particularly well.

Companionship 

Teenagers can often be lonely. Even those who seem to have plenty of friends might actually feel alone inside. This can lead to mental health issues and problems with self-esteem. It might cause them to feel ‘less than’ and not try as hard as they might otherwise do in life. Even if none of this is the case, a lonely teenager is still not a happy one. 

As much as parents might try to be there for their kids at this stage, it’s hard for them to really connect with how they are feeling. A pet, however, will never judge and will always be there. They’re not going to fall out over anything and they will be constant companions even if your teenager feels as though they don’t have anyone else. 

Responsibility 

The teenage years are a strange time. Your son or daughter is no longer technically a child – at least in their eyes, although you might feel different – but neither are they adults. It’s a strange in-between time that can be very confusing. 

Yet it is during this time that many important life lessons can be learned, and one of these is responsibility. After all, your teen might be heading off to college soon or perhaps getting a job. They might be moving away from home and have to fend for themselves, so being responsible is important.

When they have a pet, they can learn this responsibility early on. They will be in charge of keeping the pet happy and engaged, they will need to check out Freshpet reviews to see why fresh dog food is a good idea, they will need to watch out for illness. They might even need to learn how to budget for their pet (which is not only important when it comes to responsibility, but is a life skill in its own right). 

Better Fitness

Not all teens sleep all day and barely leave their rooms; some are very fit and active. However, that stereotype is there for a reason, and due to a combination of various physical developments and hormone changes, teens can sometimes stop being as active as they were when they were younger, and this can, of course, be damaging to their health. 

If they have a pet that requires plenty of exercise, such as a dog, they will have to exercise as well. They’ll need to take the dog for a walk and play with it to keep it happy and healthy. Even if they don’t exercise in any other way, walking every day is a great way to keep fit.