Sibling rivalry is natural. It results from the clash of each child’s personality, the search for attention and possessiveness: from toys and food to - naturally - parental love. It generally coincides with children’s growth stage and fades over time. But while it lasts… it is difficult to cope with. Both for the siblings themselves and for the parents (who hasn’t experienced this firsthand?)
Fortunately, in many families (more every day!), we enjoy the wonderful presence of ARISTOPETS. ARISTOCATS and ARISTODOGS renew the energy of any home, help ease potential tensions, encourage play and cooperation, and, ultimately, bring life to any house and any family.
In addition, they are children’s perfect allies. They protect them, watch over them, love them, join them in their games, motivate them and, also, become a fundamental source of support for them during this stage of life, when they do not always view their siblings favorably.
In many cases, a pet becomes a unique companion, incomparable to parents, friends or siblings. An ARISTOPET is an ally, a confidant, a soulmate. That is why most children are desperate to interact with animals, and those who have one at home look forward to returning from school so they can see it, pet it and play.
This is why, according to a study by the University of Cambridge, published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, pets can have an enormous influence on children’s development and a positive effect on their social skills and emotional well-being.
To demonstrate this, the research team surveyed 12-year-old children from 77 families with at least one pet of any kind and more than one child in the household. The participating children stated that their relationships with their pets were very strong compared with those they had with their brothers and sisters. Within this group, children who had dogs showed relationships with lower levels of conflict and greater satisfaction than owners of other types of pets.
Although ARISTOPETS do not fully understand or respond verbally, the level of trust achieved with them is greater than that developed with brothers and sisters. The fact that pets cannot understand or respond verbally may even be positive, as it means that “they are not judging us.” This would explain why some children, for example, cannot read aloud in front of other people but can do so in front of an animal.
In our culture, having a pet at home is almost as common as having brothers and sisters. Anyone who loved a pet during childhood knows that they provide companionship and trust, just as human relationships do. In fact, those of us who have had ARISTOPETS all our lives remember with special affection the one that accompanied us during our first steps, was there for every game, every fall and every achievement. That ARISTODOG or ARISTOCAT will always hold a special place in our memories, comparable - why not - to that of our first love.
