So you're talking to a childless couple and you briefly mention your child. And they talk about their pet's "personality" and how little Fido or Fluffy is so much like a baby...c'mon...
...or people without children who only talk about reality shows and then they question why someone with a child doesn't have time to keep up with such silliness?
2006-10-14 14:54:30 · 20 answers · asked by The ~Muffin~ Man 6 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
This doesn't really stress me out. But I would like to add that while I understand and accept people's right to be childless by choice, I also recognize my right to view their egalitarian view of pets and children as rubbish :-)
2006-10-14 15:12:05 · update #1
Masthope - operative word is "briefly". Read question please :-)
2006-10-14 16:00:32 · update #2
yeah it does bother me. i have 5 kids and a dog. the dog sleeps outside. he is a dog. he eats other dogs crap in the park. the rolls rocks around with his nose. he drinks pond water. he is a lot of fun, but not "a member of the family." when he dies or gets hit by a truck i'll go get another one from farmer bob. people with pets and no kids insult real parents when they compare the two. and as for tv reality shows- who gives a rip? that stuff just rots yer brain!
2006-10-14 15:14:03 · answer #1 · answered by Billy 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think it is just a matter that a person who has a pet conciders theirs as equals to having a child and those who do not have children just do not realize how much work and effort there really is to raising a child let alone more than one and you just never stand still unless they are sleeping. Then mom might get a breather. I think it is just a matter of experience and perspective. Just appreciate the diversity in the world, move on and don't stress about the small stuff. Just enjoy life.
2006-10-14 15:08:26 · answer #2 · answered by clsmlbkl 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People don't realize what parenting is really like until they have a child. Pets are the closest they have come. I found that after becoming a parent that my pet priorities totally changed. The animals all moved way down the totem pole.
2006-10-14 15:03:35 · answer #3 · answered by Just Cuz 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Umm..depends on my mood, but mostly it bugs me that they don't understand what it's like to have a child but assume that they do. I know it's a natural reaction to compare to something you know,(like your own child or pets...) But it makes me feel like they're belittling my own child by comparing to a mere pet. Or makes my child seem behind.
and for the keeping up with silly things like tv shows, obviously it's not your priority anymore. They just don't understand that. my husband and I still watch tv shows (that we download) after everything settles down. It's good cuddle time. Although after we have more then one kid the tradition may change.
2006-10-14 15:13:58 · answer #4 · answered by Larissa H 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My brother and his wife have 2 Great Danes as their only children....when one dies, they get another one, but they take it very hard. She even takes time off work to grieve and has received sympathy cards. They also take the dogs to the vet for monthly check ups. One thing I found really amusing while visiting them was that while shopping with my sister-in-law she wanted to buy a blanket to put over the couch for them...but it couldn't be just any blanket; it had to be very soft so their elbows/knees wouldn't get sore rubbing on it.
2006-10-15 06:43:15 · answer #5 · answered by Dellajoy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To a point it does. When I am talking about my child's milestones and all they can come back with is their pet is doing such and such and actually compare their pet's development to my son's it irritates me to no end.
2006-10-14 15:14:06 · answer #6 · answered by d4cav_dragoons_wife84 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
some people think of their pet as a child also i have 3 kids with my ex now re-married and because of medical problems i can no longer have kids and my husband now has no kids so now i have 3 kids and a baby boy black lab the only child we will have
2006-10-14 16:31:51 · answer #7 · answered by teresa n 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well they may see you as silly for wasting time and money on kids (i have a son so don't bash me) what may be important to us parents may not be important to everyone else. People with no kids but have a pet may see the pet as their child. There are reasons for which people have or don't have kids. Just mind your own choices and respect other people's.
2006-10-14 15:04:05 · answer #8 · answered by Ruth Less RN 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Animals and pets are family members and are children to "childless couples". I don't see what can possibly bug you about this. Are you heartless?
2006-10-15 01:20:29 · answer #9 · answered by KathyS 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have a child AND 2 dogs!
Before I had my child, when my friends would talk about their kids, they would say to me, "I guess having dogs is like having kids."
I would always respond, "Yes, exactly like it except I don't have to worry if they have done their homework or who they hang around with!"
2006-10-14 17:02:42 · answer #10 · answered by seaelen 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋