Shortly after my husband and I got married, I decided to get a dog. Initially, I wanted a nice size dog so I would feel safe and comfortable while my husband worked the graveyard shift. I ended up falling for a bite size puppy and we named him Frankie. Frankie was taken from his mother young, and was abandoned, so we knew he may be a little more difficult since he wasn’t ready to be out on his own yet. However, we cared for him and he quickly became part of the family.
Frankie is now 10 months old and he can be quite sneaky. He’s really fast, so when you do catch him doing something he’s not supposed to do, he runs away. He’s only 12 pounds and slender so he can also dive under couches and beds. This can make it hard (and frustrating) to deal with sometimes, and I’ve admitted this to my family. I don’t know how we got on the subject, but my grandmother insisted if I was having a hard time with Frankie, I certainly would struggle as a mother.
This hurt my feelings quite a bit. For one, no one said I was ready for motherhood any time soon anyways. That’s one reason we got a dog and didn’t make a baby. For two, I argued (respectfully of course) that dogs and kids are apples and oranges. I believe that behavior issues with children can be combatted in the beginning with the right discipline. I admit, I didn’t give my full and undivided attention to properly training Frankie because I was going through other personal issues, but I wouldn’t allow that to interfere with raising a child. I told my grandmother that my child wouldn’t be able to outrun me, dive under beds and couches, and dart into the middle of the street to bark at the neighbors. She chuckled and said she hoped she’d be around for me to eat my words.
Now, I love dogs, but I love children even more. I happen to think I’m very good with kids. I’m patient, yet firm. While I’m not knocking the difficulty of raising children, it’s a lot easier to be able to catch them in order to discipline them. Kids understand what you’re saying, while you can ramble off a monologue to a dog if you want to, but they’re only going to catch a few of the words they have in their smaller vocabulary.
There are professional dog trainers out there and that’s how they make their living: they teach dogs commands and tricks and certain mannerisms. There’s no professional child raiser. That’s your job as a parent, even though it takes a village. My children would no doubt get my attention, while sometimes I expect my dog to act independently and play with his toys or even take a nap. I just think it’s hard to compare the two, and hate when people try to relate one to another so easily. Some people treat their dogs like kids, and believe it or not, some people treat their kids like dogs. However, I just don’t think raising one and training the other is the same thing.
Do you think my grandmother had a point? Will I find myself completely overwhelmed in the future when I become a mom since I’m not complete in control with my dog?
Sntst5 says
Your grandmother DEFINITLY had a point. You’re right, a dog is not a child, and a child is not a dog. But if having a dog is too much for you, then you are definitely not ready for a child. Here’s why…
1. It only takes about a year to train a dog. You will be raising, guiding, and teaching your child things well after their grown.
2. Before you actually have children, you kind of have this unrealistic illusion of how firm and disciplined you will be as a parent. Although you may be a great authoritative person now ( and not take anybody’s mess), this little person came from and was created by you. So, you will most likely not be as firm as you are with your puppy. There will be instances where your child needed a good old fashion spanking, but your heart won’t let you do it that particular day.
3. On those restless, sleepless nights, you won’t be able to put your baby in their crate when your at your wits end. You will have to accept the fact that although you have to be at work at 6am, your baby decides to get sleepy at 5:30 so…you’ll have to operate off of 1/2 hour of sleep. (No more 8 hour nights for at least 2 years)
4. If you need “mommy time”, again you can’t just leave the puppy at home and get your mani/pedi. You will wait.
5. Money…there’s never enough
And I can go on, but the dogs barking and the baby’s hungry, so I gotta cut my blogging time short.
6.
Briana Myricks says
You bring up great points. Even when I watch baby shows, I see the lack of sleep in the parents and cringe. A baby would be my full responsibility, and would depend on me a lot more than my dog. I’ll certainly be waiting a few more years.
Nicole Denise says
I remember when I got the dog I have now a few years ago and he was and still is all OVER the place. One day my mother was present for his antics and I complained aloud that if I had this much trouble with a dog, how would I ever raise a child. My mother simply stated, “It’s not the same. A child eventually develops a much better comprehension of what is being asked of them. You can talk to them, explain your reasons, and guide them. A dog’s capacity for this, though great, is not comparable to a child’s.” Fast forward two years later, I have a child AND that same dog and it ain’t the same. I am a fantastic parent, if I don’t say so myself. So needless to say, I disagree with that theory. You will be amazing.
toococoarageous says
I was JUST thinking about this today as I took my daughter for a walk in the park! A couple of older ladies were walking their dogs and it reminded me of how “easy” it used to be when we had a dog and took him on walks. I thought to myself about how I was glad my husband and I started out with a dog when we got married because it taught us ALOT about responsibility and caring for something/someone other than ourselves. I also thought about how there are some similarities to us being new “parents” with our dog vs. being parents to our 19 month old. But I must say being a parent to your child is by far much more enriching! Yes, there are very trying and difficult moments, but to care for someone that came from your love makes it SO worth it.
Having a dog will help you get used to the idea but nothing can prepare you 100% for being a mother!