The One Christmas Gift You Should Avoid Giving Kids

(Lafayette, Louisiana) - Parents across Acadiana are finalizing shopping for the Christmas holiday; however, you may want to avoid gifting your kid(s) one particular gift on Christmas morning.

I know it can be hard to get your kids what they want, because they often already have it. At times, kids ask for extravagant things that don't seem reasonable, yet we, as parents, sometimes give in.

One year for Christmas, my sister and I asked for a puppy, and when we woke up on Christmas morning, there was a precious pomeranian in the living room. Well, being an overly excited kid, I ran up to the puppy and startled it. You can probably guess what happened next, and yes, the puppy bit me hard enough to draw blood.

Not only was the puppy startled, but I was also devastated that my new puppy bit me, and for the next 100 to 15 minutes, Christmas morning was "ruined." I will tell you that once things settled down, we all had a great day.

Still, when the puppy bit me on Christmas morning, I think my parents realized they might have held off on gifting us a puppy for Christmas. While that was years ago, there's now a movement encouraging parents to hold off on gifting their kids animals, including puppies, for Christmas.

Christmas morning is hectic with kids, and puppies can easily be startled, as the puppy I got one year ago was. They can bite kids or even injure themselves when attempting to protect themselves from overly excited kids.

Those who discourage parents from giving their children dogs or other pets for Christmas also note that children often show initial affection for the animal, but, as with toys, they move on from that admiration, and the responsibility becomes yours. And yes, pets are a lifelong commitment.

Additionally, many families fail to consider that pets cost money throughout their lives. You have to not only feed and groom them, but medical bills for pets can add up. Sure, the excitement from your kids may be worth the price of the puppy, but remember, there are more costs to come as long as you have the pet under your roof.

Overall, if you have a child who loves pets, a better gift than an actual living animal could be educational materials on animals or even visits to local animal shelters, which are always seeking volunteers.

We hope that you and your family have a great Christmas. As tempting as it may be to gift your child a puppy for the holidays, you may want to hold off until they are old enough to care for the new pet and understand what it takes to provide a comfortable home for it.

Now, for those who will gift their kids a puppy for Christmas or soon after, here's a great tutorial on caring for a puppy.

And yes, there's more to it than just feeding or watering the new family member.