The Experiment
Today will be an exciting day for Carlisle, my little boy, as today, he will be getting his first pet fishes. For awhile now, despite being 3 years of age, he has been begging to get a pet with which he could take care of. Having a dog was always part of the list of pets he could have, however, already having a large one at home, it just would be very difficult for us to care of them. And so, as a family, we decided on something we haven't done before, fishes.
Personally, I have never had a pet fish ever, in my entire life. This will be a first for me, and a new learning experience together with my son. This is something we decided as a family, to take care of as a family.
Purpose
The reason why we agreed to finally buying him a pet was because we felt that it was about time to train him to develop his sense of responsibility. Something that enables him to feel responsible for a living organism and to nurture it to the best that he can. Of course, the whole course of the activity will be done under our supervision teaching him step by step as he goes along the way.
Along with the sense of responsibility, having a pet encourages his development of empathy. Being able to feel what his pets are feeling, or generally sympathetic if something was to happen to these pets. In line with responsibility, we expect that this social activity would build his self-esteem and prepare him for more daunting tasks in the future, something that he will definitely need as he grows older.
There are definitely other benefits children could have into having a pet as they grow. Check out the separate source links which you could check out if you want more information. [Source] 1 2 3
Why a Fish?
After having mentioned that we already have a large dog, I would just like to point out that the breed is a German Shepherd. Not gigantic like the St. Bernards, but still huge. Apparently, we already have our hands full with regards to having more dogs in the family. What we were looking for, were of slightly less maintenance, decorative, peaceful, and manageable for my kid - having a feeding schedule.
We passed by one of the pet shops in a local mall and thought of maybe having a pet fish for him to start with. What we thought of having was something cheap and easy to start. So we had to check what we already have at home, and convert that into a makeshift aquarium. Sadly, we only have 1 component, the makeshift aquarium itself. A Storage Box.
And of course the water and yes, the lamp too.
What we lacked:
• The Fish (3USD each x2)
• The Substrate (0.5USD for a pack)
• The Fish Food (1.50 for a pack x2)
• Oxygen - Aerator (Hose, Stone and All) (4USD)
• A Handy Dandy Net (1 USD)
Total Budget: 14.50USD or 725PHP (More or less)
Just so happen, the same nearby pet shop all of these in store to purchase as specified with the price ranges. With only about 14.50USD spent for this experiment, I am extremely happy to get started training and learning with my son all at the same time. All we need to do now is to beautify the whole thing with some stones, a driftwood, and maybe some other life forms (Aquatic Plants?) and I think we should be all set, not unless we get to decide to add a little bit more goldies.
The Finished Product
Just to highlight a few pictures of it's current state...
The Chopsticks are for the substrate, not the fish.
Getting some refreshing fresh air
Some Glam Shots
What's Next?
My hubby already contracted one if his friends to assuming ownership of an abandoned aquarium. Still small, but big enough to fit more goldies or other beautiful fish folks.
Greatness comes from humble beginnings...
For awhile now, he has always been longing to building an aquaponic setup. Somehow, this small, but very targeted idea of having pet fishes for my son, can yield into something he would also like to do, plant lettuce leaves, aquaponic style. That may be a long ways to go, but I guess this is a step in the right direction. In time, with the right support system, all is going to be well for everybody, me included.
Finish Line
I definitely had a blast helping out in purchasing and setting this up for my kid. A life lesson could definitely learned from this experience in a way to enhance his sense of responsibility for his own as well as for others. Taking accountability from mishaps along the way. Developing empathy and sympathy for another. And ultimately, build his ability to socialize with others considering he is currently a solo child at home.
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See you guys on the next one!
