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How to convince your parents to get goats

I have a feeling that you’ve got a brilliant idea. One that is better than all the rest.

But now comes the difficult part of actually making it happen, right?

What is this “thing” that you want?

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You can watch the video about this below:


A goat owner needs to keep track of and up to date on all health related items they need to do to keep their goats healthy

You want a goat.

Of course, you want a goat!! Why WOULDN’T you want a goat? WHO doesn’t want a goat??

GOATS ARE SO CUTE!!

GOATS ARE SO FRIENDLY!!

GOATS MAKE FOOD!!

GOATS TEACH RESPONSIBILITY!!

GOATS ARE A WISE INVESTMENT INTO THE FUTURE!!

I don’t see how those 5 things wouldn’t convince anyone to get goats but just in case, keep watching so you have a fully laid out plan to get your goats home.

Now, first of all, I want you to realize that parents are very wise. It’s just sometimes we don’t understand the nature of how important some things really are.

So your parents really want to protect you and them from wrong decisions and things that will make life really difficult.

But if you have your heart set on a couple of goats, then here’s what you need to do.

Do you have a notebook out? Ok, Good.

Vaccinations for goats, are they necessary or not?

First, write down:

Research.

I know that sounds a little bit too much like school. But I promise you, this will be worth it. Goats aren’t your average dog. There’s a little bit more to know about them than you might think.

You will want to research the breed of goat that you want. There are quite a few different breeds and you need to be willing to answer why you chose the breed of goat that you did.

Now here’s a really important piece to this equation. Goats are herd animals. That means when you get A goat, you get another one. It’s kind of a buy one get one deal.

One thing that you can do is get something like this book: My Goat Binder. This will not only impress your parents but will also give you an excellent start yourself in knowing how to care for your future goats.

Another important part of this research will be figuring out how much a goat REALLY costs. There will be expenses and you or your parents don’t want to be surprised about each month at how much the goats actually cost.

You may also want to think about joining a 4-H club in your area. This will be a great way to learn about caring for animals and will help you meet other kids with goats and who are raising different animals in your area.

But in all your research, you will learn that you will need to know what to feed them, how to trim their hooves, what kind of shelter they need and that’s just the beginning!

It will be really important to think about all the benefits of goats. That will be your selling point.

There is so much to research:

What you need before bringing home your first goats

Pallet fence for goats

Pallet goat shelter for goats

 

What are the benefits of goats?

Milk? That’s a great way to provide food for your family. You can drink the milk, make yogurt and cheese as well. But what about your state? Can you also sell the milk to make some more money?

Kids to sell in the spring to earn some income?

Teaching responsibility? Parents really love that one. We want to teach our kids to grow up to be hard-working, active, productive adults.

What about happiness? That’s a great thing to bring up. Owning animals is proven to lower blood pressure and help us sleep better at night. Watching the antics of goats can bring a smile to anyone’s face.

Would your family spend more time together as you enjoy the goats? That’s a plus for any parent too.

See? There are lots of benefits of goats!Cup of milk splashing asking the question: is raw milk safe?

Goat Fund

The NEXT thing you need to start doing is gathering together a goat fund. Pick up extra jobs, start saving your allowance money. Whatever you can do to have money put aside to actually buy the goats and the feed that will be required for them.

After that, you will need to do something very important. The next thing to do is something that won’t be very “cool” but will be extra, extra important. And I’ll share why in a bit.

But what you will need to do is start doing your chores WITHOUT BEING ASKED. Do you need to do the dishes every day? Do them before your parents are even thinking about reminding you to do them.

Make your bed, keep all your things straightened up, help out with laundry, do your part in the house to show that you are growing up, you are responsible and you realize that being a member of the house has responsibilities and you get that. Remember, I’ll show you in a bit why this is so important.

Goats eating hay in the snow and winter months

 

Begin “the Talk”

You can show your parents this article: 13 reasons to get goats

When you have ALL of your research put together, and feel confident in what you’ve learned, nows the time to talk to your parents. Preferably do this when you are all together, maybe after dinner when you are all at the dinner table.

This is where you will act very mature. Don’t beg, plead or whine. Parents have a radar for that and immediately shut off our ears, no matter what’s being said.

Bring out your research, show them what you’ve learned and then talk about how you can help out financially.

Believe me on this. That will be your parent’s first thought: “how are we going to pay for this??” These kids cost so much already, there’s no way we can add in another financial burden.

So, it will be really important to figure out how you can help with the financial side of things.  Are you old enough to get a job to help pay for them?

The next thing they will either think or say, “And how are you going to take care of these animals with everything else that’s going on?”

That’s where you show them your chore chart and all the plans you laid out on how you will take care of the goats and when. A chart like the one in My Goat Binder, showing the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly responsibilities will be really helpful.

Goats need fresh water in the winter more than anything. You provide that for your goats to help keep them healthy in winter months.

Now, remember when I said that being responsible for all your other chores and everything in the house will be important? Here’s why.

Your parent’s next thought and questions are going to be, “Why would we let you get a goat when you can’t even keep your bedroom clean?” Or “We fight about you even doing the dishes, I’m definitely NOT going to be fighting with you about one more thing and having a war about doing the goat chores! No way!”

See what I mean? I mean, really, they have a point, right? If you can’t do the simple things or the things already required, getting a goat might not make sense.

BUT if you are already doing those things without a fight and doing them well, that won’t even be something they think about!

And your parents might end with this thought, “Do you REALLY want a goat? Or is this a passing fantasy like the ostriches you wanted to bring home last month? Let’s wait a few months to see if you are still interested in them.”

And again, that’s a valid point, You DID want ostriches last month but now want goats. If they say this, this is where you will really show your maturity. Don’t cause a fight. Don’t throw a fit. Show them how mature you are. You will be calm and patient until the right time.

Two goat kids laying in straw after delivery

Ask them what their concerns are about you getting goats. If you haven’t answered those concerns already, find an answer to those concerns and let your parents know what you came up with.

But you can keep researching and learning and sharing with your parents about what you are learning about. In the meantime, find someone in your area that has a goat that you can work with and learn about. They will also probably be a great source of help and information for you when the time comes when you do bring your goats home.

And if you do join 4-H, then stick with it! This will also show your parents how committed you are about all of this as well.

And if you really want a goat, you won’t lose interest. Keep doing your regular chores without a fuss and keep being the responsible being that you already are.

But if all else fails, and they keep saying no, maybe consider a compromise. Can you own goats but keep them with someone else’s goat herd?

But if the answer is a firm no. Respect that. Sometimes there are things and concerns that mom and dad are going through that we just wouldn’t understand and the “no” really is the best answer even though it isn’t the answer you want to hear.

So I hope this helps you be able to get some goats home. If so, leave a comment below. I’d love to know what you did and said and what ultimately ended up being the deciding factor for mom and dad to say yes!

Go get some goats!!!

How to convince your parents to get goats. It can be done if you know how!

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SillGoat

Saturday 21st of October 2023

Omg thank you so much

Delci Plouffe

Wednesday 29th of November 2023

Hopefully you were able to get them convinced!