Study Explains Why People Would Rather Be Pet Parents Than Have Kids
When you have human children, they dictate so many decisions in your life. Where you will live. If you will work or care for them at home. If you want to raise them with religion. If you are a free-range parent or a 'boy mom' or a whatever other Facebook meme you come across that tells you what parenting style you should have. Whether or not you have to eat boxed macaroni and cheese for dinner.
Well, people who are opting not to have human children are letting their fur babies dictate some of these same decisions in their lives and factoring their pets into major decisions about their career, housing choices and romantic relationships.
In a recent article in Forbes article based on a USA Today and OnePoll survey they broke down the reasons why.
One of the reasons why that pets offer companionship, but with flexibility. The article quoted a 24 year old named Emma who has two dogs who said, "If you give them attention they are good for the rest of the day, they don’t have problems. We can still do what we want to do but we have these cute furry little people that are excited to see us when we get home. I just don’t have the desire to have a screaming baby right now. I would rather have a barking dog."
That's really true. As long as your pets are fed and watered and walked and you give them affection it's not like you have to drive them to playdates or take them to the mall. It's more of a choice to take your dog to the dog park. Other than the vet, it's not like your dog or cat has a huge social schedule.
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Another reason the study gave is that due to declining fertility rates and individuals facing challenges when trying to conceive that pets can fill the void after people can't get pregnant. Some people feel that owning a pet can provide a meaningful alternative to having children.
Mental health and how pets can make us feel less lonely, stressed and anxious was cited as another reason. Ask any parent of a kid learning how to drive and it's the exact opposite as far as causing feelings of anxiety.
I love kids, I love pets. Both enrich our lives in so many ways that it's impossible to even list the magnitude of how much joy both these objects of our love, care and affection bring us.
I think that's basically all that matters, whether you decide to have human kids or pets. To be able to love these creatures and receive their love in return, that really is what life's all about.
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