The problem with getting your kids a dog to teach them responsibility is not just that you end up having to live with this dog. The problem is also for the dog…who has to live with you and your kids.

The point is: If you want to teach your kids powerful life lessons, there’s another really good way that doesn’t involve expensive trips to the vet or picking up dog poop. Planting a garden. Learning to plan, to prep, to grow, to wait? These are key life lessons.

In his wonderful book, Outdoor Kids in an Inside World, Steve Rinella has a fantastic chapter on the lessons families can learn from gardening together. But the wisdom of it is best expressed in a short, two bullet list.

“1. Through our actions, we have the power to make things thrive.

2. Neglect is deadly.”

That applies to a fruitful, verdant garden, yes. But it also applies to our relationships, to our physical and mental health, and most importantly of all, to our children’s potential.