My new pet, child, ?

I am not sure if I adopted this little guy or if I was babysitting or what. The neighbor boy brought it over one day and asked if I had a bowl to grow it in. I filled a small bowl with warm water and we proceeded to grow this little guy. One day that same neighbor boy came to my door and asked the kids to speak to me. He said, "You haven't changed his water so his water is cold and he isn't growing. And I think he needs a bigger bowl now." Gee what kind of a slacker parent am I? So I did what he said and he came over and saw it and told me that I had "Did good." I fully intended to change his water tonight and take him over to the neighbor boy, after he was in bed, with a little note. I was too late though. Today he saw him and said that the water and gotten dirty which made him "too light" and he is supposed to be dark so he threw him away. Is that me failing as a parent? Yikes. :)