Having a Pet Instead of a Child

Editor’s Note: Okay, this is a bit crazy, but a creative comparison, so we’re going to share Sandy’s article here…

by Sandy Sterling

Some people just have this urge inside of them to take care of something throughout its life. In many cases this void can either be filled by having a child or through obtaining a pet. Now there are going to be hundreds of websites detailing the joys of parenthood, but there are numerous reasons why having a pet could be far better for you than having a child.

1. Kids Take Up A Lot of Time

   If there is one definitive thing that you can say about children, is that from their birth to when they leave the nest, they are going to take up a lot of time. Most people do not have nannies or means of having someone watch their children all the time so that they can maintain their active social life. With this in mind, pets are ideal for this scenario once you have gotten them past the stage of relieving themselves inside your house. Once they are housebroken, you can literally leave a pet for hours without a need to have someone sit with them.

2. They Cost Less Money

   It would be an impressive statistic to learn the average amount of money spent on a child from birth to the age of 18. Not even including things like college, having children is incredibly pricey from the start. When they are small children they need new clothes every few months as they are growing very rapidly. You now have another mouth to feed that cannot eat the same things that you do initially. When you begin to later account for each Christmas present, birthday present, Easter basket, and other gifts or holiday spending, it can really amount to quite a lot. Pets need food that is inexpensive. They also need water you can just get from a tap and put in a bowl. You can buy them leashes, toys and the like, but this will never come close to the cost of children.

3. Do What You Like

   Pets do not require their own television shows to be played the entire time they are awake. They do not require special drinks marketed to kids. Pets do not need to be in bed before you can watch certain movies intended for older audiences. Essentially, a pet can allow you to keep being you and to do the things that you would like to do.

4. You Can Maintain Just One Schedule

   Children are very meticulous about time, and you have to be much better with managing it when you have them. You have to ensure children sleep by a certain point, so they have enough sleep to more easily wake at another point. When the kids are in school, this schedule gets worse and more specific, which means that you too have to fall in line with this new schedule, even if you might work or normally function on another schedule entirely.

These are just a few reasons that you can appreciate having a pet much more than you can with having a child. Now, there is nothing wrong with parenting. If you have this inclination, there are numerous benefits to being a parent over a pet owner. However, if you are settling an urge to be a caretaker of another living thing, many might be better off with just owning a pet.

Sandy Sterling enjoys writing about both parenting and pet ownership. She also writes articles for Health Insurance Quotes.