Will make you learn responsibility!

If my Dad and Mom ever went to a parenting class, this would be the name of it. There wasn't a day that went by that I don't think Dad was pondering on another way to make his children learn responsibility. The tasks could be random ones such as helping spring clean the house, clean your room, fold laundry, vaccumming, and other house acts.

But probably the best ones, were getting the runt pigs from the local farmers, and letting us feed and water them in the morning and evening. My older brother taught me the technique of carrying a water bucket down to the pig shed. It was about 200 meters from the house which could be quite the trek being three feet tall carrying a five gallon bucket of water down a hill half asleep at 6am without spilling. If you spilled you had to do it twice then. The technique was taking the handle and switching it from hand to hand while turning in a circle and allowing the momentum of the spinning and the water move you down the hill toward the shed. Crazy enough that it worked quite well. After they grew big and strong, we shipped them off to market, and we got paid the difference of what we were paid for them and what Dad had paid for the pig feed.

Then there were the chickens. Oh! the chickens. In one batch we had chickens and roosters. One day, Dad had to kill the roosters after a horrible attack on my brother, #5, pecking away at his little body. Horrible. Never again did Dad get roosters. The worst part about chickens was after they were shipped or butchered. Cleaning the coop. One of the grossest things ever, shoveling chicken poo while trying really hard not get any maggots on you. Yes, Maggots, they were quite the fan of chicken poo.

We did have a few pet rats but they weren't really adopted. They came after the pigs came and then were terminated not long after.

We had guinea pigs, fish, rabbits, some of the more likely pets for children. Our favorite pet of Sister 1, 2, brother 3 and me was definitly our Shelty, "Daisy." What a dog she was. Prettiest dog we ever had, and the best with kids. I remember her as a pup. She was so much fun. We had a mutt, named "Daisy" prior to that. Number 3 brother's favorite! She got sick and had to be put down. #3 Never learned that she was put down until years after he was in high school. He thought she ran away. Now in the country when a dog is put down, they are shot. My Dad could never bear to do it, but he had a friend that did it for him.

Sis #2 had a pup for a while, "Skippy." He actually died from the "stimper" a disease that was passing through pets around town. Horrible site.

Enough with pets, I never was much of a fan of the "dog" YOu would be able to tell that now since we got a Boxer Pup for our son's first birthday. The coolest thing about that is he thinks I am his Mom, and I have warmed up to him so much better than I ever thought I could have because of that.

So these were some of the things Dad and Mom helped us to learn responsibitlity by. All of us sisters and brothers still laugh about it today. Oh the good times.