Convincing parents

[peachyteen]

So, my boyfriend and I have 2 guinea pigs together and currently, they live at his house.

He doesn't have a stable income (he has a job but it's minimum wage and only 8 garenteed hours, usually he gets more) and he is easily stressed out. Usually he does the day to day stuff of feeding and making sure they have water, but I do the cage clean outs.

Because of school (I'm a high school student, doing school online), I am not able to go up every weekend. This means, I constantly have to remind him to clean their cage and it can go almost 2 weeks without being cleaned.

To take some stress of both of us (for him, my constant pestering, and for me, the worrying), I want them to move to my house, but I'm under 18 and living with my mom and stepdad.

My mom has some concerns about the pigs moving here.
1) Taking care of them everyday. The only pets I've had are cats, So she hasn't seen me take care of an animal because she wakes up earlier than me so she feeds them before she leaves and before she goes to bed. I generally clean the litter box but she reminds me.

2) Cleaning. I have a messy room, this is primarily because I often get depressed and have a hard time cleaning when I get into that mood.

3) Money. I don't have a job right now, but all the child support that my mom gets goes to me, so I have enough money to take care of them, and my boyfriend will help pay for them.

So I get that these are all valid concerns buy I'm trying to show her that I will be able to take care of the pigs (which I know I can because I've been at my boyfriends house for over a week at a time and when I'm there, he doesn't do anything for them except maybe refill a hayrack).

TL;DR: how can I show my mom that I'm responsible enough and make her not worry that she would end of taking care of them?

 

[pinky]

So, my boyfriend and I have 2 guinea pigs together and currently, they live at his house.

He doesn't have a stable income (he has a job but it's minimum wage and only 8 garenteed hours, usually he gets more) and he is easily stressed out. Usually he does the day to day stuff of feeding and making sure they have water, but I do the cage clean outs.

Because of school (I'm a high school student, doing school online), I am not able to go up every weekend. This means, I constantly have to remind him to clean their cage and it can go almost 2 weeks without being cleaned.

To take some stress of both of us (for him, my constant pestering, and for me, the worrying), I want them to move to my house, but I'm under 18 and living with my mom and stepdad.

My mom has some concerns about the pigs moving here.
1) Taking care of them everyday. The only pets I've had are cats, So she hasn't seen me take care of an animal because she wakes up earlier than me so she feeds them before she leaves and before she goes to bed. I generally clean the litter box but she reminds me.

2) Cleaning. I have a messy room, this is primarily because I often get depressed and have a hard time cleaning when I get into that mood.

3) Money. I don't have a job right now, but all the child support that my mom gets goes to me, so I have enough money to take care of them, and my boyfriend will help pay for them.

So I get that these are all valid concerns buy I'm trying to show her that I will be able to take care of the pigs (which I know I can because I've been at my boyfriends house for over a week at a time and when I'm there, he doesn't do anything for them except maybe refill a hayrack).

TL;DR: how can I show my mom that I'm responsible enough and make her not worry that she would end of taking care of them?

Do a major room cleaning and write up a schedule you can give to her on how you plan to care for them on a daily basis.

 

[blessedmom]

That's a tough one because I'm a very strict momma myself that fully understands the concerns your mom would have but I'm also a total sap when it comes to GPigs and know how they motivate you to do whatever it takes! I got my (way too young) daughter a GPig (and then a 2nd when I learned they need a friend) and soon realized the level of care was too much and took it on myself. I also soon became so in love with them that I couldn't possibly do enough to make their lives awesome! My daughter was only 8 so it's reasonable that she couldn't care for them but if she were a teen I would fully expect her to do ALL the work outside of an occasional overnight stay somewhere, especially if she talked me into it!

As far as convincing your mom, I would say that a big move like really cleaning your room would go a long way! We like knowing that something really means a lot to you and that you will go out of your comfort zone to make it happen. I would make a place big enough for the cage and show her that and explain all the things you have learned about proper care. Print the veggie document on here that shows how frequent they can have each veggie/fruit. Let her know that it bothers you that so many people get GPigs on a whim (as did I) and then leave them to live in small cages and only feed them crappy food occasionally (this I did not do, I quickly found this site and learned SO much) and how you have so much great info about proper diet and cage size and care. Just really overwhelm her with how much you've invested into this! Consider it like a school project that your entire grade is riding on. Don't just write a report that will get a decent grade, but consider it like you need an A+ with extra credit or you fail! Make sure to be honest with her and explain that if you stay overnight somewhere you will need someone to scoop some poop and provide daily veggies and hay but that you will pay her or a pet sitter if needed. Don't try to convince her it will be "easy" or "no big deal" but rather explain that it will require a lot of work but that you are dedicated and prepared to do it! Be honest but show some passion!

 

[peachyteen]

That's a tough one because I'm a very strict momma myself that fully understands the concerns your mom would have but I'm also a total sap when it comes to GPigs and know how they motivate you to do whatever it takes! I got my (way too young) daughter a GPig (and then a 2nd when I learned they need a friend) and soon realized the level of care was too much and took it on myself. I also soon became so in love with them that I couldn't possibly do enough to make their lives awesome! My daughter was only 8 so it's reasonable that she couldn't care for them but if she were a teen I would fully expect her to do ALL the work outside of an occasional overnight stay somewhere, especially if she talked me into it!

As far as convincing your mom, I would say that a big move like really cleaning your room would go a long way! We like knowing that something really means a lot to you and that you will go out of your comfort zone to make it happen. I would make a place big enough for the cage and show her that and explain all the things you have learned about proper care. Print the veggie document on here that shows how frequent they can have each veggie/fruit. Let her know that it bothers you that so many people get GPigs on a whim (as did I) and then leave them to live in small cages and only feed them crappy food occasionally (this I did not do, I quickly found this site and learned SO much) and how you have so much great info about proper diet and cage size and care. Just really overwhelm her with how much you've invested into this! Consider it like a school project that your entire grade is riding on. Don't just write a report that will get a decent grade, but consider it like you need an A+ with extra credit or you fail! Make sure to be honest with her and explain that if you stay overnight somewhere you will need someone to scoop some poop and provide daily veggies and hay but that you will pay her or a pet sitter if needed. Don't try to convince her it will be "easy" or "no big deal" but rather explain that it will require a lot of work but that you are dedicated and prepared to do it! Be honest but show some passion!

I'm in the process of cleaning my room right now. I'm getting a dresser this weekend which the girls cage can sit on, I already ramble about pigs to her (the pigs would be moving from my boyfriends house to mine, not be new pigs, so I'm already very invested and she knows this).

 

[peachyteen]

The agreement I made with my mom is I have to keep my room tidy for the next month, everyday I need to take time to tidy it

In a month, we are gonna talk about it again. If I've kept up with my room then there are 2 more things she needs conformation on from my boyfriend and I,

1) My boyfriend will have to come here most weekends rather than me going there

2) My boyfriend has to help pay for piggy things (we already do about half and half)

If all this is done, and agreed on, then the pigs will likely move here.

 

[blessedmom]

The agreement I made with my mom is I have to keep my room tidy for the next month, everyday I need to take time to tidy it

In a month, we are gonna talk about it again. If I've kept up with my room then there are 2 more things she needs conformation on from my boyfriend and I,

1) My boyfriend will have to come here most weekends rather than me going there

2) My boyfriend has to help pay for piggy things (we already do about half and half)

If all this is done, and agreed on, then the pigs will likely move here.

Yay! I'm sure that seems longer than you want to wait but work your butt off to prove to your mom how much this means! If she's like me (and she may not be so don't expect it) she might give in after a couple of weeks of seeing the dedication on your part. Often parents don't tell the kids all the reasons that they are hesitant about these things. I've gotten a couple of pets for my daughter and had to do the work but that's my own fault for not being able to say no when I should have. I don't want to explain to her that my medical condition is more severe than she is aware and it's truly hard for me but I do it anyways because it's the right thing. She wants another rat and another dog and a snake and a hermit crab at the moment but I just tell her no rather than explain that I simply physically can't care of much more right now. I also don't want her to think getting a pet is "no big deal" and she needs to understand its a commitment until the end. Your mom could have similar reasons for expecting this from you. I'm very happy that you seem to care so much and are seeking advice even from us "elders" [emoji6]!

 

[peachyteen]

Yay! I'm sure that seems longer than you want to wait but work your butt off to prove to your mom how much this means! If she's like me (and she may not be so don't expect it) she might give in after a couple of weeks of seeing the dedication on your part. Often parents don't tell the kids all the reasons that they are hesitant about these things. I've gotten a couple of pets for my daughter and had to do the work but that's my own fault for not being able to say no when I should have. I don't want to explain to her that my medical condition is more severe than she is aware and it's truly hard for me but I do it anyways because it's the right thing. She wants another rat and another dog and a snake and a hermit crab at the moment but I just tell her no rather than explain that I simply physically can't care of much more right now. I also don't want her to think getting a pet is "no big deal" and she needs to understand its a commitment until the end. Your mom could have similar reasons for expecting this from you. I'm very happy that you seem to care so much and are seeking advice even from us "elders" [emoji6]!

Yeah, it feels like a long time, but I'm sure it will go by quickly. One of the reasons my mom has been apprehensive about me getting pets is that she doesn't want to take care of them, which is why part of the agreement is I can't go to my boyfriends every weekend and he has to come down here (He's about a 2 hour bus ride from me, so I generally stay there for 2 days when I go up).

 

[blessedmom]

Yeah, it feels like a long time, but I'm sure it will go by quickly. One of the reasons my mom has been apprehensive about me getting pets is that she doesn't want to take care of them, which is why part of the agreement is I can't go to my boyfriends every weekend and he has to come down here (He's about a 2 hour bus ride from me, so I generally stay there for 2 days when I go up).

I do want to point out that I'm not that old! Technically I'm your "elder", but I'm only 33! As a teen I thought that was really old but now I realize it's not! Lol! I just happen to be a really protective mom and put a lot of energy into parenting because it's a huge responsibility! I just know so many people that don't even take time to research good pet care and love to see a young person invest the time to do what's right by a pet! I didn't even do that as a teen. Keep it up dear!

 

[peachyteen]

I do want to point out that I'm not that old! Technically I'm your "elder", but I'm only 33! As a teen I thought that was really old but now I realize it's not! Lol! I just happen to be a really protective mom and put a lot of energy into parenting because it's a huge responsibility! I just know so many people that don't even take time to research good pet care and love to see a young person invest the time to do what's right by a pet! I didn't even do that as a teen. Keep it up dear!

Oh, you're not old at all! Thank you a lot for your advice.