Rover Responsibilities

“Okay, You Two, go on and freshen up and get in comfy clothes, your dad and I want to talk to you as soon as he gets home.” Mom directed her daily reminders for the twins upon arrival home from their summer camp. 

Harper bolted ahead, securing the bathroom for herself first, leaving Harley in the dust. 

Their week was over at camp, and they were looking forward to a No-Plans Weekend hopefully filled with movies and rest. It was an exceptionally hot week, and both twins were feeling extra tired from all the fun at camp. 

A short while later, switching places in the bathroom, Harley asked, “What do you think Mom and Dad want to talk to us about?”

Harper shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe something to do with our family vacation?”

The twins had yet to be given the destination of their family trip and were eager to find out. 

Once changed and cleaned, they settled onto the couch with Mom and waited for Dad to come home. 

Dad came in through the garage door, which was unusual since he parked in the driveway, but the twins didn’t think much of it. He appeared excited but tried to even out his expression. 

Sitting down beside Mom, who matched his energy, he said, “Harley, Harper, we feel that it is time to add to your chore list.”

“Yes, and we also feel that you two are both old enough to receive more responsibility in your routines.”

Harper felt conflicted, “More responsibility? But we already have a lot of chores and have to clean our rooms all the time.”

“Cleaning your room is not a chore,” Mom corrected, “That is a sign of respect to yourself and the rest of the family since you are a member of this home.”

“Your mom is right, and chores are also something that you both do to help out the family as members of the home.”

Harley spoke his mind next, “Okay, so what exactly does more responsibility look like for us?” He nudged Harper in support, hoping to get her to calm down and hear them out. 

Mom and Dad resumed their exited expressions, “Well, how about instead of telling you, we show you?” Dad got up and made his way to the garage. 

Harley and Harper sat up, glancing at the other in confusion as to what was happening. 

Mom smiled widely, “Kids, we think it is time to add another member to our family.”

Just as they were figuring out what she meant, Dad opened the garage door and in came running a bouncy ball of brown and black fur. 

“A puppy?!” The twins shouted in unison, barreling to the floor in an attempt to tackle the dog that was full of energy and just as ready to meet them as they it. 

“Surprise!” Mom and Dad sang. 

The twins could hardly contain their emotions, they had wanted a dog for so long! Now that it was happening, it was hard to believe. 

After everyone settled down a little, Dad began to talk again, “As much as we are excited to have this new bundle of love in the house, dogs do require a lot of work - which is where more responsibility comes in for you two.” 

“Yes,” Mom chimed in, “You have each been asking and making promises on how you would help, so now is the time to set that into motion.”

The twins were taking turns holding the puppy and giving/receiving kisses but were listening.

“You will need to feed it twice a day, take it for a walk in the morning and the evening, keep an eye on the water dish, and help pick up after it.”

“Can we name it first so we don’t have to keep calling it, ‘It’?” Harper raised her hand in question.

Dad laughed, “Sure, but did you hear, that is a long list of responsibilities that you two will need to take on. And not just during the summer, but when school resumes in the fall too.”

Harley spoke next, “I think we can manage, right, Harper?”

“Definitely!” Harper responded with enthusiasm. 

Mom and Dad looked at each other knowingly. They would see soon enough if the twins could keep up with their end of the new chores. 

“Sounds like a plan. To make it a little easier to keep track of, we created this daily checklist for you two to fill out and decide who does what. It will go in the kitchen for now.” Mom held up a small poster board. 

The twins nodded, but were far too focused on the puppy and what to name it to really let their new responsibility set in. 

**Do you have chores that you are responsible for? Does your family have any pets? What can you do to help your parents with the house or the pet?