Making Your Case
Have a strong argument for keeping your pet. If you want your parents to listen to you, you will have to show that you put thought into what you are saying. You should be able to cite specific reasons as to why keeping the pet is a good idea (e.g. teaching you responsibility). It will also help if you can find sources online or in print that back up your claims. Even if you think the reasons are common sense, show them that you really cared enough to do some research about it. Avoid exaggerated truths like “Caring for the dog will teach me to care for my kids one day.” Support for such a statement is going to be weak at best. Instead, focus on something like the fact that it will help you be more mindful of your responsibilities, like feeding your pet. Understand why your parents want to sell your pet. Maybe they don't want to take care of it anymore or can't afford to feed it. Ask your parents questions about why they want to sell your pet, and then come up with counterarguments to their reasons. If they say that they can't afford your dog's food anymore, offer to get a part-time job to help pay for it. If they say that they can't take care of him anymore, offer to take up more specific responsibilities (like feeding and walking) when caring for him.
Consider what compromises you will make to keep your pet. Avoid vague statements such as “I’ll take care if it.” Think about the ways that you can and will actually do this. Have a list of specific responsibilities you are ready to take on, when and how you will complete them all, and what other activities you’ll be giving up to make sure that they happen. Consider alternate living arrangements for your pet. If a dog is taking up too much space in your house, perhaps think about building him a doghouse and letting him live outside. If your best friend has a few cats already, maybe she wouldn't mind taking your cat to live with her. Think about what living arrangements would work for both you and your parents. If you are not willing to give up after school activities, or make arrangements to help care for your pet, you may need to rethink your priorities.
Recall emotional times with your pet. Try not to cry and sob to your parents uncontrollably. Instead, combine your reasons for keeping the pet with the compromises you are willing to make, and then remind your parents of good times with the pet. It is okay to cry a little, but keep yourself calm and collected so that you can make your point clearly.
Starting the Conversation
Choose a time and place to talk. Catching your parents walking out the door, or otherwise in a hurry, is a bad way to get what you want. If you want them to take the time to hear you out, set a time to talk to them after dinner or on a weekend. Make sure that you discuss it somewhere that you and your parents feel comfortable, such as your living room. It might even help to say something like “Mom, Dad, I would like to talk to you about something. Can we make time after dinner tonight?” An example of a bad time and place would be dropping by a parent’s office in the middle of the day to talk about your pet.Your parent will be busy with work and will not want to listen to you.
Make sure your parents are in a good mood. If your parents are upset about something else, you should wait to bring up your pet. Most people are unable to totally exclude their day to day frustrations from an important discussion or decision. Try to help out around the house or relieve some stress from your parents, and bring up keeping your pet when they are calm and relaxed.
Tell your parents what you want to talk about. This will set the tone for the whole conversation. Be direct and tell them exactly why you want to talk. Be sure that you do not tell them what to do. You might say something like “Mom, Dad, I would like to talk to you about keeping Wilson,” instead of “You guys have to keep my dog!”
Talking to Your Parents Effectively
Stay calm. If you intend to tell your parents that you are going to be mature enough to relieve them of the burdens of your pet, you have to show a little maturity. Screaming, yelling, throwing things, etc., will send the message that you are just angry and immature. Instead, stay calm and collected while talking to your parents, and they will be more willing to have the conversation. If your parents do not immediately allow you to keep your pet, yelling “I hate you! You are so unfair!” is not going to help you. Instead, try something like “I know you already said that we need to get rid of our pet, but please hear me out before you do.”
Show that you understand their point of view. Part of being mature is entertaining and respecting someone else’s point of view. You also need to understand exactly why your parents object to keeping your pet in order to beat those objections. When your parents are talking, listen carefully and respectfully. Your parents might say something like “Buying food for a pet is just getting to be too expensive.” Now you know what the problem is and you can respond “I will earn extra money to cover the cost of the food. I’m sorry I didn’t realize how difficult it must be to provide the money for everything all of the time.”
State your case in a clear and concise manner. The situation is emotional, but you have to stay on topic if you are going to make your point. Go through the list of reasons that you made to keep your pet, and support each reason as well as you can. Then, clearly state the things that you will do to make keeping the pet a tolerable request. When your parents see you put this much thought and passion into something, they are likely to listen. For example, if you are arguing that keeping your pet will teach you responsibility, be very clear about how that will happen. Say something like “Letting me take on the responsibility of caring for our pet will force me to plan my day ahead of time, earn money for pet food, and be considerate of how my actions affect others.”
Give them time to think about it. Backing your parents into a corner will most likely rush them into giving you an immediate “No.” Instead, make your case and give your parents time to think it through. They will most likely spend a day or so thinking about how they can make the situation work for everyone, and that will work in your favor. It is a good idea to say at the very beginning of the conversation “Please, don’t answer right away. Take some time to think this over after we talk.”
Accept the outcome respectfully. Whatever your parents finally decide, you will have to be respectful. Not only does this continue to show maturity, it also builds a stronger case for future conversations with your parents. Be appreciative of the time they took to discuss things with you and think about keeping your pet, no matter what the final decision is. Show this appreciation by saying something like “Thank you for talking to me and thinking things over before making a decision.”
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