I think it has alot to do with how kids are taught to treat animals by their parents. My daughters are very gentle and loving with animals. They would never mis handle them.

However at one time I babysat a girl about a year old. One morning when her dad dropped her off at my house, Minnie who was only about a month old came walking through the room. He swooped her up and dangled her in front of the baby saying look at the kitty like she was a toy or something, I was really upset!

If parents teach kids to behave, they will. You just have to be a good parent.

 

I completely understand how you feel. I'm only 19, and still in my "I'm NEVER having kids" stage, but some parents are fully to blame. I work in a restaurant where kids eat free three nights a week, so we're always full of screaming, crying, running kids that the parents seem to ignore the whole time. That's normal. But not watching your kids at an animal shelter is just stupid!

I'm sure if one of the animals got hurt, they would quickly apologize and leave. But if the kid got hurt, it would somehow be the shelter's fault for having the cages within reach, or the animals in the open or something.

Getting a new pet is a wonderful thing for kids, but they need to fully understand how to treat and respect the animal before setting foot in the shelter. If the children are too young to do that, the family should probably wait before getting a new pet.

 

Yes, I've seen awful kids around animals. :evil:

I volunteer at the adoption center and some of the kids that visit are terrors. Luckily most of the ones that come in to visit (i.e. the serious adopters) seem to be trying to teach their kids proper pet handling. I've seen some really great kids, very patient and quiet around the animals.

I must admit that I'm personally childfree so I'm not a big fan of kids. I still see good and bad both.

~Heather

 

I hear ya. I'm also childfree-by-choice (having realized early on that I would be a lousy mother) and I'm constantly mystified by some of the things that people let their kids do. My cat is off-limits to kids (and if their parents don't enforce it, Assumpta will take matters into her own paws).

I was in a small independent pet-supply store just yesterday, pricing out cat food, and this girl, maybe seven or so, was intent on patting the resident cat, even after her mother told her to "leave the kitty alone." The mother then wandered off and left the girl alone with the cat, who she would pat by sneaking up from the side and petting it hard a couple of times, then jumping away. :x I saw the cat's tail start to twitch, and explained to the girl that when kittycats twitch their tails like that, they don't want to be touched, and maybe she should just stand a little further away and talk softly to kitty instead. The kid stuck her tounge out at me (?!?!?) and patted the cat again the same way. By this point, the cat had taken just about enough and gave her a good swat in the arm (no scratches, just a good scare). :lol: Kid runs screaming to Mom, who starts screaming at the store employees about the dangerous cat, she should sue blahblahblah. I felt obligated to step in and try to explain exactly what had happened, which Mom didn't appreciate. She ended up taking my license plate number out in the parking lot, so I may be going to jail for felony cat defense soon, but I was really annoyed by the whole situation. I've met this cat many times, and he's pretty mellow...but this kid was waaayyyy out of line. My mom would have clocked me for acting like that (probably still would, come to think of it).

Yup...completely mystified as to how stuff like this happens. I know plenty of kids that are perfectly respectful and fine with critters of all kinds, but then there are kids like this one...makes me glad my work at the shelter is done before we open to the public, I know I'd never be able to be that patient!

 

some kids do not how to treat a pet at all..i remember one of my mom's friend came over with her daughter...and i ALWAYS put my cat in a room for the amount of time they are there and bring him out afterwards..since i know kida dont do well with pets...well i didnt lock the door..since someone was going to want to go into that room..i assumed the kid wouldnt just go in there or atleast the mom wouldnt let her..but he went and next think i know i come inside my house and go into that room..i see litter is everwhere on the floor! ..my mom told me she was tryin to "play" with my cat and hit him ..my mom got mad at her...if only i was there.. wow..i dont even wanna say wut id do.. that got me so mad! now i forbid them to comeover and if they do...the door will be locked!....kids just annoy me sometimes.

 

Gudewife - what on earth do you think she was planning on doing with your license plate?? Some people are crazy...

 

I think it has something to do with kids not being exposed to animals when they are young. Sometimes parents will get rid of their animals when they have babies because they have too many germs or whatever. They end up getting a kitten or pup - and they don't teach them how to handle it.

It also stupifies me at how idiotic parents are now a'days. They let them run through the resturant - or let them cry and do nothing about it... it's like the kids don't exist. I've seen parents who come screaming to me if I let the F-word out when I don't see their brats running around - and then she just turns away and lets them run off wherever they want to go. I swear... with all the perverts out now... it's no wonder that some kids get snatched up.

I was in a Wal-Mart and a little girl was pouting because she couldn't get anything. Instead of picking her up or spanking her... or ANYTHING they said "That's fine - just pout there" and they left her... on the OTHER side of the store - and the little girl after a while got up - looked around and started crying. At about 13 years old - I wasn't about to get involved - while parents are stupid and irrisponsible - they always love yelling at people (especially the ones that are trying to help).

With all the stupid things I've seen, I just want to say: Yay... GO parents! *sarcasm* I was thinking to myself: Wow... if a pervert were here right now... some people just don't need children... I think they should take these people - put em under - and take out all their reproductive organs with a shovel... morons.

Anyways - if I EVER see a kid who doesn't know what they are doing with an animal - and there parents aren't around - I normally just pick the cat or dog up - if they'll let me. I swear... parents these days... they just need to give their kids a good spanking (not beating btw) and tell their kids what's wrong. Or get involved in their kids life! I just don't want to have any of my own anymore... I've got to look out for everyone else's spoiled little brat.

I think I'll stick to my cats and other animals.

 

I feel the same way as the rest of you. I too am childless, by choice. I can't stand to be around kids, they drive me crazy. I'd like to knock some sense into their parents for letting them behave they do. If I ever acted like that my parents would have let me know very quickly that it was unacceptable.

 

Well, certainly are a lot of people who choose not to have kids. I would love to have kids someday.

When my nieces and nephews come over (I have 12, but usually they come over in groups of no more than 4), the first thing they want to do is play with the kitties. Of course, the kitties, don't usually want to play.

Kitty, who used to live with kids, usually hides right away. I tell the kids she's sleeping and that's that. I was so proud of Thomas though. MY THOMAS! Who bites all the time and seems to think claws into skin is a good combination, blithly allowing my 3 and 4 year old nieces to carry him around...you know how they do, pretty much carrying him by the hind end, his head down near the floor or near the front end, with his front legs streached out and their arms practically around his neck. I watch very closely to make sure they don't hurt him. But I couldn't believe how placidly he just hung there allowing them to carry him around. After a while he decided he had had enough and ran away, but he came back for more after a while. I was so happy to have a cat who can put up with kids. :lol:

I just wanted to say some kids and parents are OK. They mostly listen if I decide one of the cats has had enough (like Kitty). And my sister says, "If he scratches or bites them, they'll learn to be more careful". Which I appreciate. I hate when you allow a kid to pet your cat and then when they get hurt, the parent acts like they can't believe you allowed that to happen.

 

I'm not anti-child but I am anti-parents who ignore their children. While I was at the shelter adopting my newest two, there were several groups of kids that came in to play with the kittens. Two boys were finally asked by a volunteer to leave one kitten room but then went straight to the second kitten room. I finally told the boys to stop playing "that way" with the kittens. They were antagonizing the poor babies and making them a nervous wreck. They two girls came in to play. The youngest was MAYBE 3 years old. She'd pick up the kittens then drop them and scream if they wiggled at all. I tried a few times to show her how to play with kittens without picking them up. But she insisted on doing this over and over again. Then she went after Rice, the kitten I was planning on adopting. I flat out told her not to touch my kitty. Her dad was standing right outside the room and would walk by every few minutes and say, "you can play for a few more minutes then we have to go." Kittens are not TOYs to entertain children!!! Since when did a shelter become a playground?? And what about the "no unattended children sign."??? I was even more upset that the volunteers weren't enforcing the rules.

As far as my kitties go, they're pretty much kid-friendly. Most of my friends have kids and bring them over when they come. Mind you their children are all under 3 years of age! So they're only allowed to play with the kitties with the wand toys and only if they do it "nice." This prevents them from getting too close or picking up them up. This has worked pretty well so far.

 

I agree that it has to do with the way they are raised by their parents.....just like a Pit Bull isn't BORN mean, it is raised to be that way :evil: Some people are so ignorant. I have a house full of pets, and plan on having kids. When I do, I will purposefully raise them in a house full of many different kinds of animals so they learn right from the beginning.

 

I just wanted to make sure that people don't think I hate all kids. in fact, I can't wait to have 3 of them, but I just wanted to to vent a bit when I see kids misbehaving...

not all kids are bad, of course. one time I was walking in a store, and this child walked in front of me (about 5 years old?) and he wasn't even in my way, but he said "excuse me" in that really cute slow kid way and my heart melted. I vowed that my child will be as polite as him.

 

I just want to say that I was a little disappointed by the title of this thread. I too went through my period of "I'm never going to have kids". I'm also the oldest of 6 kids, so I know how quirky children can be at times and I'm the first one to say..."Listen, I need a breather"...and you know what, that's okay. But to blame the children is a little harsh and unfair.

Children are attracted to animals just like we are, animals are small like they are and cute, soft and cuddly. Look how much we are attracted to kittens and puppies as adults. At four years old, they can't possibly understand that a floor is too dirty for the kitten or that they are not doing things (i.e. holding corectly, etc.) the right way. As for the child who was putting his fingers in the cage...where were his parents while this was going on. It's the parents you should be irritated with, not the child. It's the their job to see to it that they are taught how to respect animals and how to handle them properly. Several of you have brought that up and I'm glad to have atleast seen that.

Many of you don't want children, and that's more than fine, I commend you for not bringing unwanted children into this world and being responsible enough to realize that before it happens. But others do want and/or have children and they are loved...much like the way you love your cats and other pets. What kind of reaction to you think you'd get had you posted something like..."Uggh, cats make me so mad".

Similarly, Rott's or Pitbull breeds get a bad reputation. People make very general comments about how Pitbulls are vicious, etc...it's the owner that is the problem, not the breed. Same situation here.

So, please before you categorize kids so generally, or talk of just being irritated with kids as a whole, think about that...and also remember that you too were a child once. We all were. And, the reason we turned out the way we did and we turned out loving animals was heavily influenced by our environment. It's not their fault.

And, please don't take this the wrong way, I am not trying to start an argument at all. I just felt really sad when I saw that thread subject.

 

BritChipmunk- What a sweet kid I teach Sunday School, ages 3-5. I try not to play favorites, but there is one little girl who is SO sweet and polite..I love her. She always asks how I am feeling, helps clean up, etc. She is the first one to give a hug to a kid crying because they miss their mom, and shares so much, she barely gets a turn herself! And she is only 3.

 

Aw, that was nice of you to update the title.

 

I have no idea what she wanted my license plate number for, nor do I much care...I have company signs on my truck, so I figure she's got my phone number if she's really interested in arguing further. :roll:

 

I might actually have a kid sometime - my fiance wants to have two. I just don't want them right away. I think I'll wait until I'm 30. =P I guess I just want to have some time to have fun and relax before I have children.

I actually do want children - but I think having pets helps a bit with that - and I would like to be able to raise my kids to love pets. I guess I just look at what some other people are doing - and my own sister for that matter - and I cringe. I'm so scared that I would be just as bad - but I don't want to be. I don't want to smother my kids - but I don't want them to go through some of the things I've seen. I don't think I'm responsible enough for a kid yet... well.. maybe responsible enough... but not ready. *Sigh* I've actually wanted one since I was 18 - but I guess I just realized I wanted to wait too - because I'm not ready.

When I turned 20 - I had a weird situation pop up. I was in an beggining level art class in college - and I was talking to this 18 year old girl. She was telling ME when I got older... that I would want kids (I really freakin' hate it when people mistake me for being 16-17... well... not really... that just means I look young... right?)... I just though that was funny... because I have this little girl telling ME that I would want kids "when I was OLDER" Blah... anyways... I think that if she had kids they should be taken away. I nearly got into a fight with her once about children. She nearly drank herself to death every weekend... smoked pot for "recreational purposes"... and I asked her "And you think that you would be a responsible mother?" And she was like "Yeah! Totally!" Gawd... the fool. Just another reason I'm scared to have a kid... to be in school along side children with mothers like these...

P.S. It just frightens me to raise a child in a world like this...I guess I'm still a little afraid - but I'm 22 and I have 8 more years to make my choice - if I still want children - I'll be ready with all the stuffed animals and toys that he or she could dream about... if not... well... I guess I won't have children. I'm also worried about not loving my baby like I should... I've heard of things like that - the mother has no feelings for their child once they are born... or worse... I'm so scared that is going to happen! Just talking about this topic sort of gets my blood rushing and my stomach flipping.

You are right though - it is good to realize if you really want to children or not - rather than have them for the heck of it and decide later that you can't stand them (which isn't fair for the child).

Ok... getting out of this scarey topic before I have an anxiety attack over my future babies! *Runs*

 

My daughter is 19 months old and I am constantly saying the following :

"AMBER GET OUT OF THE CATS BOX! Your gonna accidently sit on one!!"

"OMG AMBER PUT DOWN THE KITTEN ITS TOO LITTLE TO PICK UP. There thats better now watch them from back here"

"I know you want to pet the baby Amber but you have to be very gentle, you can't hug it like you do Siame"

"Amber, honey, PLEASE stay out of the Siame's water/food"

"Amber where are you going? Amber! AMBER! Get in here its time for bed not time to play with Siame!"


I say each phrase ATLEAST twice a day. I believe repetitiveness and example is the best and most effective way for a child to learn Anything. (and Patience also of course) Amber loves ALL animals, and is gentle with them. (she doesn't 'bang' on them like most toddlers, she is very gentle and pets them nicely) But she still needs to be taught how to handle them. Siame has scratched her once because she did get the kitten and carried it to my bedroom (I was in the bathroom) it bothered her but you know what, she hasn't carried any of the cats again. Kids Do have to learn, and if they have to take a scratch, bruise, or bump or 5 before they then, so be it. Just as long as they don't get seriously hurt (and this goes for EVERYTHING)

I was married young (not on account of a pregnancy) at 20. I got pregnant one month later. I am now 22. I wish I would have waited but things happened for a reason and now I cannot imagine my life without her in it. I commend everybody that takes precautions that do not want children. I stopped the precautions after marriage, we weren't planning for kids, we were still being young and dumb. But like I said things happen for a reason and now I have a child that I love with all my heart. Don't let other peoples children be an influence on if you want children, because you have no controll in other childrens raising. When its your child you have complete say. Somebody can say, hey you should do this, but the beauty is it is YOUR child, and you raise it. As long as what you are doing is out of love, and best intrest of the child.

A 4 year old could have been taught not to pick up the kittens but patience is a VIRTUE. Screaming and yelling doesn't always work... a gentle word and example can do miracles. If somebody would have picked that kitten up (the RIGHT way) put it where it belonged while explaining to the child why they were doing it, it would have been a better example then "Pick up the cat off the dirty floor" Children need to be shown by example. and unfortunately not many parents are willing to do this, which is very sad. As for the child screaming over the kittens, first thing would have been to move the child away then if the parent asks why the best answer would be, "he/she was screaming and I didn't want him/her to be hurt" if he/she kept doing that over and over more then likely they wanted attention "awe poor baby are you ok?"(most likely because their parents probably do that, which is bad in itself)

(btw all comments are welcome to what I have said, its just my personal opinion I'm not trying to start an arguement but share my thoughts )

edit : please note I didn't mean that the worker was yelling at the child to pick up the cat, just making a general statement

 

I was having dinner with my sister and my niece (5 years old) the other day. My sister and I were discussing having kids and all of the sudden my niece says, "Aunt Joanne....You have kids." Well, my sister and I kinda looked at her like, "What?" (Because I don't have any). Then she says, "Your cats are your kids." My sister laughed and told me she was right.

 

It is well known in my family that my pets are my kids Every year I send out Christmas cards with the cats and dog on them......and they all get presents, not only from us, but from my mom and sisters as well :lol:

 

I think it's mostly the parents' fault if children don't know how to behave around animals. If the adult has no respect and treats animals like toys, so will the children. Of course in some cases it's hard -- like if a parent is allergic or just doesn't like animals, of course the child will be underexposed to them. Parents who don't like animals don't see "animal etiquette" as a priority.

I think it really depends on the exposure, and how a child sees others acting towards the animal. My nephew Aaron is 2 and a brand new 12 week old kitty just came into their home. The kitty is small, white, sweet, and deaf. So my brother and his girlfriend were very afraid that the kitty would get hurt because it wouldn't hear Aaron coming, and Aaron might not be able to understand how to handle him. But within about a week, Aaron learned to say "help?" if he wanted to pick up the kitty, and wait for Mommy or Daddy. He also learned what it meant when Mommy and Daddy said "gentle" in regards to petting. Now he's a great little companion for that kitten. He's proof that kids *can* be taught.

 

I have to agree that it's parents who really need to be more aware of theri children's behaviour. The way I look at it is children come into the worls little clean slates and the important people in their life start to sketch on theit slate. At such young ages they rely on other people showing them the ways things are done. I teach 6 year olds and it can be a nightmare trying to unwrite some of the stuff the parents 'allow' them to get away with.Recently I took my class to a big fish aquarium place and I aged 40 years and developed and ulcer within 20 minutes of being there. I was literally pulling kids out of rock pools as they were trying to rehome starfish and crabs. One kid got a little wet (she was up to her armpits throwing crabs into another pool) so I told her off and when we got home the parent complained I had ruined her child's trip! Never mind the poor crabs which had been hurtled across the room into another creatures habitat which no doubt would eat them! Its madness. If (big if) I have kids I wan them to respect animals. As it is, the more I see of children, the more I love my cat.

 

So sad. I definitely agree about kids and parents, it's mostly the parents who can't keep control over little brats.

Kids are WAY overrated, that's all i have to say :?