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Good ideas here. We had a pet for our children but it never occurred to me to teach them about the costs of owning a pet. Mom just bought the food and Dad took care of taking her to the Vet and paying the bill.
posted by
TAPS.
on May 3, 2014 at 11:05 PM
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well
yes, an animal is maybe not the best tool, but if the child really wants the pet.... and if you have the parents to take over when the child screws up, then it might work
posted by
jeansaw
on May 3, 2014 at 10:27 PM
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I understand what you're saying, and I'm all for teaching kids of any age certain types of responsibilities. However, I think I might be reluctant to use a pet as a teaching tool for such lessons simply because you're talking about a living creature. If you were trying to show a child the responsibility of, say, owning a new bike and keeping it clean, rust-free and in good working order, that's one thing. If the child 'screws up' and something happens to the bike, well, it's a bike! It's an inanimate object. But a dog or a cat? I'm sorry, but I believe the risk of a potential 'disaster' probably outweighs any lessons in responsibility the child may learn . . . 
posted by
JimmyA
on May 2, 2014 at 5:05 AM
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Important it is for those lessons to be learned.
posted by
FormerStudentIntern
on May 1, 2014 at 5:31 PM
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