Most parents naturally want to be able to give their children whatever they want. That’s not always possible though, and not always a good idea, either. At the same time, you still want your kids to have a fulfilled childhood, and most children always end up wanting a pet at some point during their childhood.

So what should a parent do when the child starts asking for a pet? The child will probably ask for a puppy or a kitten, or a pony (yikes!). Obviously these pets take a lot of responsibility and require a lot of care and attention, and many times it is the parent who takes over these responsibilities because it seems overwhelming to the child at the time. Probably you will tell your child about how having a dog will require taking the dog on walks, cleaning up after the dog, feeding it, bathing it, and more. Of course your kid will most likely promise to do all of that stuff, but in most cases, kids slack off in taking proper care of pets and the parents are then stuck with the chores.

So what should you do? Do you refuse to let your child have a pet? I hope not because I think pets and animals are an essential part of life and learning about the world around you. I believe the best idea is to start your child off with a small pet like a hamster. Hamsters are cute, small and furry little creatures and they are very easy to take care of, yet still help to teach a child about responsibility. Hamsters don’t have a very strong smell and are fairly clean animals, although they do require a little bit of care such as cleaning their cage every week, but that’s about it. Of course they need to be given fresh food and water on a regular basis.

One of the great things about hamsters is that they don’t cost very much to care for, especially compared to other pets like dogs and cats. They are fun to handle, the child can take the hamster out and play with it gently and then put it back in the cage when they’re done. Hamsters don’t shed like cats and some dogs, and they are quiet, except for the hamsters exercise wheel which might make a little bit of noise when the hamster is on it at night. So overall, I think when your child approaches you wanting a pet, I think you should suggest a hamster to start with and if the child shows it can be responsible for a hamster, maybe later they can have a dog as a pet!