snakes are fun i love watching them eat and they are very fun to hold the feel really nice besides handling and regular water changes there not much trouble .

My son has had two snakes now for nearly 9 years, they have caused very little problems within the household and have allowed him to learn how to look after and be responsible for another living creature as well as giving him enormous street cred with his friends. I of course for years had to clean them out as both snakes (in different tanks) feel the need to strike and bite you every time you put your hand in their tank, but the good side is that they only really hurt if you try to pull away, which is exactly what you do every time.
We have a Rat snake that is very aggresive and has grown to a length of over 5 feet long, the other snake is a Corn snake who is very placid and allows you to handle him.
We feed them on Baby Rats that are purchased frozen from the local pet shop, these need to be thawed slowly at room temperature and not by using a microwave.
The snakes will usually eat about three baby Rats at a time but will then not eat again for sometimes upto 2 months, this is Ideal for holiday time because you can feed them before you go away and as long as they have a swimming pool (small) in the tank they will be fine by themselves during your family holiday away. We actually use a Timer switch that turns the light on and of during the day.
Please be aware of one very important fact that we have learned over the years and that is that snakes take an instant dislike to dogs and our Boxer would also relish the chance to play with this creature that wants to hiss and spit at him all the time. (my money would be on the boxers paw action). So ensure you keep other pets away. we have also found that there are many snake shops around the country and all of them tend to know a great deal about the animals that they are selling and are always willing to share knowledge and suggest the best animal for your enviroment.
Yes snakes are a great household pet that children can learn and appreciate.

A snake is a cool pet.