How to Use a Pet to Teach Responsibility

By Lucinda Watrous

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Pet
Pet supplies
Rules about pet

Choosing a Pet

Step 1:
Choose the appropriate pet. What sort of pet do you think you and your child can handle? Are pets allowed where you live? What is your budget like? Are you willing to put forth the effort to care for the pet if your child does not? Can you handle the responsibilities of a pet that you cannot hand to your child? These are all questions you must consider and answer before you decide which type of pet to bring into your home.
Step 2:
Choose a small pet like a fish, or hermit crabs, to start your children off. They will learn the responsibilities of feeding and caring for the pet, without much risk to the parent having to do all the work. This is also a good pet because they do not require much, if anything, when it comes to things like vet visits. The downside though, is that these types of pets are hard to bond with, because the children cannot play with them as they would a cat or dog.
Step 3:
In choosing an animal like a cat or dog, much more must go into it. There are vet visits and vaccinations to attend to. The dog or cat must be given much more attention than the other animals mentioned in step 2, and the likelihood of this falling on the parent is higher, because the children are more likely to become bored with the responsibilities.

Using the Pet to Teach Responsibility

Step 1:
Sit down with the child and explain why you have chosen the pet that you did. Also explain the steps that the child takes to care for the pet, such as feeding, watering, and grooming.
Step 2:
Allow the child to ask questions regarding what needs to be done to care for the pet and what he or she will be expected to do, and how often. After you are sure that your child understands the expectations, it may a good idea to make a chart so that the child can see what he or she has to do, and have a way to measure his or her progress with the caring of the pet.
Step 3:
Offer consequences for the child not caring for the pet as they should, and let them know when to expect these consequences to come into play. Let the child know what will happen when you have to care for the pet in their negligence to do so, and let them ask questions.
Step 4:
With the child aware of what needs to be done and when, as well as what happens when these things are not done, you are set to have the child learning about responsibility in no time!

Tips & Warnings

Choose a pet based on your budget, the age of your child, and what you are willing to take on.
Be prepared to care of the pet in the event that the child cannot comply.

Resources

Tips for Teaching Responsibility with Pets

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How to Pick an Appropriate Pet for Your Child

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