SATURDAY, July 28, 2001 (HealthDayNews) -- Kids and pets are known to be a winning combination.
Now new research suggests there's another payoff: Pets give children -- particularly boys -- the chance to play the role of caregiver and nurturer.
So says Gail F. Melson, a professor of developmental studies at Purdue University and the author of a new book, Why the Wild Things Are, which explores how children's relationships with their pets may shape them as adults.
"We were interested in looking at the experiences children have that may help them develop nurturing qualities or the motivation to care for others appropriately, whether as a parent or caring for the elderly," Melson says.
"We wondered whether that's something you sort of instantly acquire as an adult or when you become a parent, or how it might come about. What happens during childhood that might prepare you or make you more interested in that," she says.
The book, published by Harvard University Press, draws on psychological research, history and children's media to evaluate youngsters' relationships with pets.
One of the most intriguing dynamics Melson observed was how pets seem to serve as what she calls "gender-neutral" objects of affection and nurturing.
"We found that kids are in general very interested in babies, but around the age of 4 or 5, a gender difference really emerges," Melson says. "Girls began to see baby care as very much a part of the feminine role that they were learning about, and boys were seeing it as part of the feminine role as well."
"Girls were sometimes even acting like little mommies, but boys were showing much less interest," she adds.
When it came to pets, however, both exhibited strong nurturing tendencies.
"Boys and girls perceived the care of the pet as not associated with being male or female. Hugging and cuddling and all of the caregiving was seen as 'gender neutral' -- with both boys and girls being equally involved and interested," Melson says.
Melson witnessed a perfect example of the phenomenon during a trip to a veterinarian's office -- where she watched a father and son fawn over their sick dog.
"The young boy was with his sort of macho-looking dad, who was wearing these big work boots and a John Deere cap, and they were taking turns hugging and cuddling this little fluff of fur, which was their sick dog," she says.
Yet Melson stops short of declaring that pet-ownership paves the way to better parenting.
"Does this necessarily mean that when boys take care of a pet when they're growing up that they become a better daddy? I certainly don't want to say that and there's no evidence," she says.
"But I do think childhood itself is important. And having a pet can provide an opportunity for boys to be nurturing a small, dependent creature. And they don't have many other opportunities in our culture to do that," she adds.
According to Melson's book, more than two-thirds of all American children grow up with pets, and are more likely to have a pet in their home than both parents. And with that many kids growing up with four-legged companions, she says more research is needed to really understand how pets affect the emotional development of children.
"I argue in the book that the traditional disciplines of psychology, education and sociology, among others, have really ignored this connection. Yet we know it's important during childhood and it may well be important in the longer run in adulthood," Melson says.
Despite the lack of research, experts say relationships between kids and pets are beneficial -- for both sides, says Dr. James MacIntyre, a child psychiatrist.
"Where I come from, I think any time a child of either sex is able to be involved with the care of a pet, that's a positive sign," he says. "It tells you things about the child's ability to empathize and be appropriate, because sometimes kids can get aggressive and inappropriate with pets."
What To Do: Contact the Humane Society for more information on what you need to know before adopting a pet. If you're grieving the loss of a pet, the Mayo Clinic offers some advice.
