As we all know, there are now 2 sides to this rabbit hobby namely Just For Pets and Rabbit Showing. For the adults or in the OPEN it can be extremely competitive among serious breeders and it got me thinking what will the youth or young children learn from this wonderful hobby. Here’s my take on this topic:
Sense of responsibility
Having pet rabbits as a hobby does teach our children to be responsible for another living being. It also teaches them discipline as their pets must be watered and fed on a fixed routine. They have the opportunity to watch and learn the life cycle of a pet from young till death. There are many things that they will learn from keeping a pet healthy at all time.
Social skills
When they get into the Rabbit Showing sport, they will be introduced to other children their and also with the same hobby. They will learn how to socialize and at times learn how to be tactful in handling emotions of other children. As children always learn from their elders, we just have to be careful and to ensure they do not get entangled in the adult world. When they are good at honing social skills, that will help them handle human interaction issues better.
To be honest, having pet rabbits on its own is far more less damaging than having children in the showing sports. Introducing them to the showing sports would mean introducing dynamics and complexity into the hobby for them. Yes, he or she may not be in the run to win it but it does not mean someone he or she knows isn’t as well. And it all really depends on how much you want to protect your children.
The reason why I am writing this is because, I was able to see for myself the heartache in a child when he/she did not do well with his/her rabbit. The disappointment that shows on the face really tears my heart and that is something I will definitely not forget the next time I ever organize any rabbit competition.
The show arena is definitely somewhere to toughen up your kids!
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i totally support getting kids’ benefiting from being responsible for their pet bunny! my only concern is that parental supervision is usually abandoned because some parents feel that the child is doing a great job. It is essential for parents to be the principal carer of the pet rabbit in terms of supervising the child to ensure the rabbit is being well looked after.