Staffers over at the very popular Museum of Life and Science in Durham  write once a month for TriangleMom2Mom. This month, Sherry Samuels, animal director, writes about animals and kids.

For many children, the family pet is their best friend and it shows—with over 63 percent of American households registered as pet owners, according the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Our pet animals don't ask for much—just a short list of basics such as food, shelter, veterinary care and companionship. Pets offer far more in return, teaching us about love, improving our emotional and physical health, and providing us with unconditional affection and friendship.

Companion animals are natural teachers. They help all of us learn about responsibility, loyalty, sharing, and unconditional love—qualities particularly essential to a child's healthy development.

By helping to care for a pet, children also learn to care for their fellow human beings. There is a strong link between how people treat animals and how they treat each other. Time spent with animals provides an opportunity for children to create deeper connections and empathy for others, better understand subtle feelings and look at the world from different perspectives.

On an emotional level, pets can teach children many things:

Communication: Children learn the subtle cues their pets give them to indicate their feelings. They can apply this lesson to human interaction because they are more attuned to watching for different signs that people exhibit.

Empathy: Children often become curious about the emotions their pets feel. This curiosity will extend to others. Animals offer an avenue for children to explore their curiosity and that curiosity can lead to greater engagement with the world around them.

Nurturing Skills: When properly supervised, a child learns how to take care of another living being, and can be proud to help keep their pet healthy and happy.

Confidence: Pets have no expectations; they're delighted that the child is with them which gives children the feeling of acceptance.

Resilience: Children who undergo traumatic experiences often cope better when they have a pet to confide in since having an animal companion can make them feel a part of something.

The Museum of Life and Science in Durham will be hosting a very special event Saturday, Oct. 11 called Wild About Animals. Museum guests can immerse themselves in a variety of activities about the care of animals. Some may want to join in for a morning as a junior keeper or go behind the scenes—others can experience how our keepers enrich the museum’s animals in our care, or take some of hands-on ideas home to use with their own pets.

Check out our other daily themes at TriangleMom2Mom:

MONDAY: Meet!
TUESDAY: Ask!
WEDNESDAY: Eat!
THURSDAY: Play!
FRIDAY: Out!

WEEKEND: Relax!