The Unexpected Reward of Our New Dog: Responsibility For My Girls

Ever since our family dog, Hudson, passed away two years ago, my girls have wanted a new dog. My wife, Rachel, and I, however, were not so keen. Anyone who has lost an important pet knows it’s not easy to even think about getting a new one for quite some time after the loss. And, the thought of bringing all the mess and responsibility that a dog (let alone a puppy) brings with them into our finally-somewhat-orderly household was not especially appealing to either of us. 

Watching and Learning

But, our girls were smart. They had watched me at home as I put together a presentation for StringCan’s annual planning. They asked what I was doing, and I explained that I was trying to get my team on board with my vision for the coming year. I told them how I was going to walk my team members through the presentation, and why I chose this approach. 

So you might be able to guess what came next… The girls asked if they followed this same approach and prepared a presentation about why they wanted a puppy, if I would consider it? I laughed – and then said yes. 

Teaching Kids Responsibility 

Lexi and Ella spent the next four months (I kid you not) preparing a presentation on why they should get a dog. The final product was 48 slides long, and honestly quite impressive. 

The girls included in their (very long) pitch many of the negative aspects of having a dog, along with how they would solve them. For example, what about when we go on vacation? Their fix – they would find someone to watch the dog. Their thoughtfulness and thoroughness was incredibly impressive. By the end of the presentation, Rachel and I were won over. 

Fast-forward to today, and we have a new member of the family, our Labradoodle puppy named Jax. We all learned an important family lesson through this process, which is the importance of intentional communication. Our girls didn’t whine or complain; they got to work justifying their wishes. And it panned out, for all of us. 

Of course this type of scenario doesn’t perfectly translate in all cases, but it did get me thinking about other creative parenting ideas. I wrote my book “Family 2.0” about how I used business principles to transform my family, and I’m seeing every day how my girls are also learning similar principles they’re using in their daily lives too. 

My takeaway from all this? We all can learn something from one another, and our kids can be the best teachers – if we just allow them the platform to share their voice. 

I’d love to hear any thoughts you have around this. Feel free to reach out.