Recently, I overheard a parent and a child talking about how children should behave around animals. When I asked the same question, the reply was, “I don’t know.”

If parents do not know, what will children learn? Children learn kindness from adults. If adults stay silent, children are left to guess, and that is when animals get hurt.

Here is what you can do:

1. Step in. If you overhear such a conversation, kindly intervene and help solve the problem.

2. Speak gently. Intervening can feel like invading, so stay calm and normal. Do not sound edgy or judgmental.

3. Keep it simple. Not everyone has pets. Come down to their level and explain the real reason behind good behaviour.

4. Teach respect. The right approach toward dogs, cats, birds, or any animal matters, because our behaviour counts.

Teach children to be gentle, to never chase or pull, and to give an animal space when it walks away.

“I don’t know” is not enough. A simple sentence like, “Animals feel pain, so we should be gentle,” can shape a child for life.

Hena’s Blog For Paws © 2019 by Hena Osman is licensed under CC BY 4.0