Poorly chicken

[Yorkshire Pudding]

Thanks all.

 

I get more upset about the lying than anything I think.

 

I don't expect the lads to do it all without help, I wouldn't rely exclusively on them and when we got the pigs I expected to be doing a fair bit of the caring for them. Both boys do cleaning out together each weekend, with my help and I feed the pigs some of the time. When it's DS2's turn to feed I go out with him to help him get in and out. But DS1 does do more of it than his brother.

 

DS1 is trying to prove he is repsonsible enough to keep reptiles in a year or two - he's not doing a bad job at the moment.

 

So far they haven't done badly, the pigs are warm, dry and fed and Chewbacca has been groomed more often than he usually gets (he is long haired), so perhaps they are taking things on board.

[chickenanne]

It sounds like they are getting back on track now, fantastic! Obviously what you did worked so right decision!

[TAJ]

Our oldest Guinea Pig died earlier this month - I have to say in 6 years I never cleaned her out DD was made to be committed to her pet for life - a hard mum here I am afraid. We were pestered for months for it, all was fine for the first 3 years, then she would have happily rehomed them. I'm of the 'for life not just for Christmas' rule I am afraid - you commit to a living thing then it is for their life, not just until you get bored with it.

 

Tracy

[freddie]

I brought my two cats back from Africa, and went without a car for 6 months to pay their quarranteen.

Need I say more

[kinsk]

Sounds like they are getting better so hopefully it will continue. But no you are not being unreasonable, and for most kids the reason parents let them have pets is to teach them responsibility.

 

I had my fair share of hamsters etc. and the pursuaded my parents to let me have a rabbit, was probably about 8ish at the time. After about 6 months I started neglecting the rabbit and after several pullings up from my Mum I said I didn't really want it anymore. The next day she pickend me up from school with the rabbit in a box and drove me to the vets with it to have her put down. Taught me one of the best lessons I've ever learnt, we came home with the live rabbit but animals are not disposable and it shouldn't be easy to just pass them on with a clear conscience.

[Tutti Frutti]

Edited April 8, 2016 by Guest

[AJuff]

We had a similar issue with our children. Begging for guineapigs for two years. We eventually gave in and bought a guinelu and two pigs to go in it. As soon as the weather changed they were quickly fed up with cleaning and feeding. By the time DS left the side off the eglu and we saw one of the guineapigs wandering in the garden we decided enough was enough and rehomed them. Thay have never asked for another pet as they know the response they would get. They need to look after themselves first too!!! But that's another story!

[Yorkshire Pudding]

An update!

It has been a long wait but we have found a lovely home for our piggies and they go tomorrow night. The boys shed a few tears when I told them but agree it's for the best - I am very proud of them for being so grown- up about it. A nice treat for them at the weekend is in order!

[AJuff]

I hope the nice treat is for the guinea pigs not the boys!! I wouldn't reward them for their decision personally.

[Valkyrie]

Well I'm glad you took the tough stand, but I agree with AJuff - no treats for the boys because it's their naughtiness that caused you a lot of concerns and you had to find a new home for the piggies. They are probably being grown up about it because they are actually relieved that you won't be asking them to do their chores any more. It would be rewarding them for their irresponsibility.

[missuscluck]

Im sure the piggies will soon settle in their new home. You have done a brave thing which lots of us threaten to do with our non pet feeding kids but not all of us carry it through.

My daughter has been threated with re homing of her gunieas many times but she usualy comes through in the end and has been much better of late as she gets older. She is 12 now but I think when she first got them when she was about 8 ish she struggled a bit with picking them up and the cleaning. She is fine with it all now.

Good luck to the piggies. Hope they like their new home.

[majorbloodnock]

Well I'm glad you took the tough stand, but I agree with AJuff - no treats for the boys because it's their naughtiness that caused you a lot of concerns and you had to find a new home for the piggies. They are probably being grown up about it because they are actually relieved that you won't be asking them to do their chores any more. It would be rewarding them for their irresponsibility.

 

Of course, now they're in the habit of doing chores and their time has been freed up by the rehoming of the guinea pigs.......

 

Washing up? Hoovering? Ironing? Making beds? Cleaning? You can probably get a picture of how things work in our house; take on extra responsibilities and there's no going back.

[Valkyrie]

Hmmmm, I seem to be lumbered with that lot. So yep, take something on and there's always something extra chucked at you like "get my dinner woman" from OH and "why haven't you washed my stuff?" and of course "can you pick me up mum." All that in spite of showing them how to do things for themselves. Get at them early I say. I missed my boat, don't anyone else go the same way.

[AJuff]

 

Washing up? Hoovering? Ironing? Making beds? Cleaning? You can probably get a picture of how things work in our house; take on extra responsibilities and there's no going back.

 

 

I'm so pleased we started the housework and responsibility early. It has paid off. The kids just get on with their aptly named 'Jolly Jobs!' As they get older their responsibility increases. DD will have to take on laundry at 13!!

[sadietoo]

If we took on a pet, I always accepted that the majority of the care would rest with me, although my children were encouraged to help. They didn't have any chores in the house allocated to them whilst they were under 14. IMO childhood should, wherever possible, be a special time, we all have to waste enough of our lives on the mundane and boring, without starting very young .(and I hasten to add I wasn't a stay at home Mum, I've always worked at least 25 hours per week. I'm sure this view may be considered controversial, but neither of my children (now aged 17 and 20) are lazy, spoilt or unhelpful adults and always do their fair share of stuff around the house now (and whilst away at Uni!) without being nagged or asked by me to pitch in.

[hazard]

my kids lost interest in the rabbits so i told them that i couldn't look after the rabbits as well as the dogs clean the house make the dinner etc so some one will have to be re homed so i put the kids clothes into bags and told them that i had decided to rehome them as they make the most mess they where gob smacked the rabbits were cared for like royalty until they died of old age i will never forget the look on their faces am i a nasty mother

[majorbloodnock]

IMO childhood should, wherever possible, be a special time, we all have to waste enough of our lives on the mundane and boring, without starting very young

 

I take the view that childhood is a training course for being grown up. Some of that entails the adventures of exploring, both in the physical sense and the mental sense, but some of it also entails a steady increase in responsibility, some of which is dull, boring and sometimes downright distasteful; learning that life has its drudgery as well as its exciting bits is an important lesson. That said, it's also an important lesson to learn that special times can be had in amongst the mundane too, as many a fond childhood memory of mine (doing routine stuff as a family) illustrates.

 

That said, that's what worked for me and seems to be working for my kids. I can't say it would be as successful for anyone else; it's purely my opinion.

 

I'm sure this view may be considered controversial, but neither of my children (now aged 17 and 20) are lazy, spoilt or unhelpful adults and always do their fair share of stuff around the house now (and whilst away at Uni!) without being nagged or asked by me to pitch in.

 

I don't see how something could be controversial if it worked for you - as it clearly has done. It just goes to show you're a better judge of what works with your kids than I would be.