Pets and Responsibility – Are we ready?

It is no big secret that I’m not a huge pet lover. Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m not a dog person, or a cat person, or really any type of pet person. I, of course, knew in the back of my mind that one day the time was going to come when my kids were going to want a pet — since they ARE pet lovers. 

The kids pretty much know that a dog or cat is out of the question. I’m more on pet level = fish, but when the kids asked for a guinea pig one day, surprisingly enough we let them get one. I was actually not the one who said okay to this, it was my husband (who also doesn’t really want pets in the house) who agreed to allow the kids to have a pet.

Our First Pet

Off to the pet store we went to pick out everything we would need for said guinea pig. We not only got a guinea pig but also ended up getting a hamster. The hamster is pretty low maintenance (my kinda pet), and so is the guinea pig for the most part, however, she does make a bit of a mess around her cage. Say hello to Flower, my kids’ first pet.

As I mentioned, Flower is a bit of a mess maker. Every time new bedding is added to her cage she gets her little feet going digging it up and moving it around so it is just like she likes it. This also means it also gets all over the floor. She is a rather messy little thing. My son’s floor looks like this almost every day, and is especially bad right after Flower’s cage is cleaned.

Who is in charge of cleaning?

Me, not being a pet person, made it pretty clear that I wasn’t going to be in charge of any pet maintenance or cleaning from the get-go. This leaves either the kids to do the cleaning — or my husband. I think eight years old is a fine time for a child to have a little responsibility and have a pet – but they do need to be held accountable for taking care of that pet.

I know what you are thinking… the kids are not going to stick to it, no way. Aaaaaaand you would be right, for the most part. My husband has been the one to clean out the cage on a weekly basis, which is a must because Flower is not only messy, she is also pretty stinky so a week is about as long as the cage can go before she becomes too foul. The kids HAVE, however, been pretty good about feeding and watering Flower (with some gentle reminders now and then) and my son has been left in charge of keeping his room clean after Flower roots around and throws bedding all over his floor.

The limiting factor here is that hauling a vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs was a bit of a challenge for him and would probably give him reason to neglect his duties, so his dad and I decided we should have a vacuum that the kids can use upstairs in their rooms. No excuses now! 🙂

A Vacuum for kids?

Finding the perfect vacuum was rather easy. We wanted something that was lightweight yet still powerful. This meant a corded vacuum, but not something full sized. We looked at quite a few vacuums trying to find the best ones and in the end, we decided on a Shark. 

The vacuum we decided to try is the Shark Rocket® Powerhead. At first, I was unsure about how well this vacuum would work for the kids because most of the weight is in the head (all nine pounds) and I thought it would be hard to maneuver. After using it though, I realized the design worked out really well for them. Since the vacuum motor and dust cup are both in the head of the vacuum, and it is powered (meaning the brush rolling pulls the vacuum along sort of like a powered push mower), it really has a lot of suction yet it is really light in hand for the kids. 

I was so in love with the Shark Rocket vacuum that I started using it on the main floor just to test it out, and guess what? It picked up tons of dirt that had been left behind by our old vacuum…right after vacuuming with the other one first! Um, yes…this thing rocks for sure!

Okay, so we did get this for the kids and eventually I took it upstairs so my son could use it. He was a pro in no time and maneuvered this thing around with ease.

I love how low you can go with the vacuum to get under things, like a bed, and you can really get into some tight spaces. 

The Powerhead also has a headlamp so even in his dimly lit room my son will be able to see all the bits and pieces lying about on the floor and make sure they get vacuumed up!

I actually still bring it downstairs once in a while because it sucks up dirt so much better than our old vacuum. 

Features I love about the Shark Rocket Powerhead

The fact that it goes flat, has a headlight for dark areas, and has a powered head (all shown above) are a few of the great features, here are a few more:

Shark Rocket ® Powerhead Vacuum

• Weighs a total of nine pounds, and less than one pound in hand
• Interchangeable brushrolls are easy to assemble and clean via innovative roller garage

• Carpet & Floor Brush and Gentle Touch Hard Floor Brushroll clean carpets, rugs and hard floor surfaces
  • You can also easily clean area rugs without sucking the life out of them, or getting them all clogged up in your vacuum

• Fingertip Controls for easy transitions between hard floors, carpet and area rugs
• Multi-position adjustable heights tailored to personal preference and compact storage (5 is lowest setting) 
  • This works great for kids since you can make the vacuum much shorter so it is easier to handle (look how short the handle is in the picture above with my son using it)

• Breakthrough engineering combines motor and dust cup in the head of the vacuum, reducing airflow path and maximizing efficiency and power

If you cannot tell by now, I really really like this vacuum. I’ve been using it all over the house even though it is supposed to be for my son’s room. I think we just might have to get another so we have one to stay upstairs and one for me. 🙂

Love this vacuum yet? You can pick up a Shark Rocket Powerhead for yourself on Amazon!

Thanks to Shark for providing me with the vacuum to try. Some links in this post are affiliate links.