children and thier pets

[sandhills_rabbits]

My daughter is kept very busy because ofhomeschooling, but her father and I still expect her to help quite abit with chores and such. Everyday she has to walk her 6 year oldcousin to the elementary school, walk home, and then in the afternoonpick her up. (We live right by the school, and can see the steps to theparking lot from our backyard, so we know she's safe.... we also have a"walkie-talkie" system so she can talk to me and vice versa while theyare walking to and from school). She also has to spray down and watermy husband's extensive reptile collection. She has to check on anyreptile eggs incubating, and let us know if any new babies have hatchedout. She's also responsible for cleaning her room (which is currently apig-sty and wont get paid her allowance if it's not clean). She alsohelps me feed, water, and care for all my babies in my "rodent room".We pay her $10 a week for all this, which we feel is more then enoughfor a 9 year old, but we look at it as an incentive, not a "given". Wetell her that she would be helping us with these things anyways, evenif we didnt pay her allowance, but we pay her allowance because she isextremely responsible. We have decided that she must put half the moneyinto her bank account, and half can be kept as spending money, butshe's actually quite a good little penny-pincher.

 

[Abbi]

JimD wrote:

The 17 year old is a teenager. Nuf said?

I find that weird myself.. I'm 17 on Friday, and all theanimals my mother and I have/had, I've looked after. She's alazy one! I clean my bunny, hers,and guineapigout once every two days, and I did my Canary, until shedied this week. I feed them, change their water, ect, everyday! And I do that because I want to, not because I'm toldto. AndI don't get paid to do it.

But I guess it really does depend on what kind of personality/attitudethe teenager has. A lot think their social life comes beforeeverything, and so they're mostly out with friends. But Iguess I'd be different, seeing after I moved, I began to stay in thehouse all the time, care for my animals and be on thecomputer! I'm not a very social person, so.

Ad the chores never did work in my house. There used to beseven kids, two adults, and Mum used to do everything. ThenDad moved out, and three left home, and Mum still dideverything! Since four have moved out now, and it's only meand Mum, we share everything between us. Cooking, cleaning,ect. Except Animals have always been my responcibility(eventhough one of the buns are hers!).

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I'll be 17 next Friday and I was 15 when Igot Mocha and Spice.My social life doesn'tcomefirst because, well, I have no social life! lmao. My animals are mylife.

Although I could kick myself some bitterly cold mornings when I have todrag myself out of my warm bed to go feed the bunnies, I still do it.My parents have never had to remind me. Basically I have all theresponsibility of the animals and always have but that's only fair--I begged for them in the first place!