I had not realized that letting the little abandoned kitten my daughter brought home from downtown live with us would be such a lesson in caretaking, parenting and responsibility for my teenagers. I think we often think of how great pets can be for younger children, but it isn’t always something we think of for the older set. I am here to tell you, however, that I have witnessed all sorts of development and maturity going down in my house–all centered around Toby, the tuxedo kitten…
Since Toby came to us when he was only a few weeks old, he was quite the tiny little helpless furry bundle. His whole body would fit in the palm of a person’s hand. So, all three of my kids (and their friends as well) were quite enamored of this tiny kitten from the beginning. He would snuggle up and let himself be cuddled and petted and he needed direction to figure out where the litter boxes were, food, and a little intervention with the two older cats. I thought for sure my kids would lose interest as he got older, but just the opposite has happened. He seems to have brought out the “parent” in all three of them.
We joke that Toby will never learn his name and will instead think he is called “No!, Stop it!,” or “Get Down From There!” In typical fashion, there is forever something crashing to the ground, falling down the stairs, or a mess to be cleaned up that he has left in his wake. Whereas my kids used to be able to walk over a hairball or a puddle of cat vomit for an entire day–they now are rather attentive to cleaning up Toby’s messes. I am finding it quite reassuring to see how they are all three gentle, playful and firm with him–even if they do get occasionally frustrated at his naughty endeavors. I certainly would have never thought that welcoming a kitten into a house with three teenagers would turn out to be such an opportunity for my kids to practice nurturing, caretaking and patience!
See Also: the PETS Blog