Some parents get a dog to teach kids about responsibility. I have a friend who used to have a dog when he was a kid, and he says thats the way that his parents taught him to take responsibility for things.
I think dogs are great, I'm a dog person myself. Dogs and cats can teach younger kids responsibility because they are a relatively sturdy and constant animal to take care of. Feed, water, walk, play. Feed, water, walk, play. Feed, water, walk, play. Day after day after day.
But what about teenagers? How can you teach them that same lesson? I personally don't think a dog cuts it for teaching them as it is something they could blow off easily with just doing the food and water part, and opening the back door to let them out.
Here is my answer: a turtle.
The jobs that come with a turtle are a lot more dependent than with a dog. A dog is day to day, but a turtle is day to day and once a week chores.
Day to day: feed twice a day.
But then there is the once a week tank cleaning. I have a painted turtle, and it is 2 hours of every weekend. I've had him for 3 years now, and even though it's become a pain to do the same cleaning every weekend, it really has improved my habits of being responsible.
Cleaning up for a turtle:
Dismantle the tank- unplug everything and take apart everything attached- 5 minutes
Clean filter- rinse out sponge and charcoal filter, scrub insides, unblock tubes, individually clean carbon bits, reassemble- 30-45 minutes
Wash Tank- empty water, scrape sides clean of algae, refill, vacuum rocks clean with water suction, refill and repeat until clean, refill- an hour
Put back together- and make sure everything runs again, trial and error- 10 minutes
And then there's the "well you can't go anywhere or do anything until it's done" parent approach that comes with it. Plus if you don't do it, the tank begins to STINK!
