Not being an asshole wins the race...

Having a tortoise as a pet, I often think of the Tortoise and the Hare fable.  The sum up of that story is "slow and steady wins the race".  The tortoise didn't win because he was slow and steady, he won because that hare was an asshole.  To me, that's a much more important lesson than slow and steady- being an asshole can bite you in the ass.  And that's exactly how you should explain that to your children.  I only wish that were a more predictable outcome. 

My tortoise is very cute; he even likes to snuggle with me-

Still don't think he's cute?  How about this?

What I've really learned from Rokku is determination.  That boy will not give up.  When I take him out on the terrace, 7 flights up, he sometimes gets it into his head that he would like climb over the edge and see what's out there.  I've tried to explain to him that that would be suicide.  I pick him up and move him away, he scrambles right back.  The more you pull him away from his perceived destination, the harder he will try to get there.  Rokku, stop burrowing into those electrical cables!  It's admirable if not nerve-wracking, and I love him for it.