[Conure crazy]

Your kids are the same age as mine. My kids are very involved with our conure, they were 6, 7, & 7 when we got Kermit. Kermit was very well socialized and loved attention so it was easy for them to interact with her. She was 4 months old at the time.

With kids it's important to teach them to the respect the bird. When Kermit doesn't want to be messed with she warns them to leave her alone, if they don't respect that then it's their fault they got bit. You also have to teach them to move slowly, if she's startled she will bite but if they move slowly and talk to her before trying to pick her up she will willingly step up. We usually tell her "step up" before reaching for her so she knows what we expect. Lastly, birds will reach out with their beak if you back off then they have the potential to bite. Your kids would have to learn the difference between a warning and the bird just reaching out with his beak to get on their finger. With patience I think your kids are at a great age for a family bird.

I don't know very much about cockatoos but I do know that my conure does great in a busy loud house with 3 kids & 2 dogs. Occasionally she will fly if one of the dogs barks but she's not scared of them, actually they are afraid of her.