Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Having a baby vs owning a puppy

Recently my husband mentioned to me how a mutual friend of ours tried to compare and relate owning a puppy to having a baby. Keep in mind this friend is married but does not yet have children. I still remember the face I made when my husband began to tell me about the conversation, (I'm sure I have pretty prominent frown lines now).

His friend owns a puppy
We have (parent) a baby

The conversation came about when my husband mentioned that many new fatherly duties have made him extremely tired yet incredibly happy, to which his friend responded that he could relate (you know, with his puppy and all). My husband tried to explain how the two didn't compare, but his friend insisted that the two are quite alike...

*Full Disclosure*
I own a very very spoiled Yorkie whom I had since she was 6 weeks old, so I am definitely not hating on puppies here.



How can the comparison exist?
  • You CAN leave to work and leave your puppy at home with a bowl of food and pee pad.
  • You CAN'T leave a baby unattended...ever! Not to mention that babies need to eat every 2 hours, more or less. 

  • You CAN leave a pee pad for your dog to pee on periodically throughout the day.
  • You CAN'T leave a baby sitting in their own pee or poo. Not to mention that the cost of diapers is it's own conversation considering that on occasions our baby will go through a little less than 100 diapers in one week.

  • You CAN indulge in at least 5 hours of interrupted sleep while your puppy sleeps comfortably on their own bed. If you are unlucky, you might have the OCCASIONAL puppy crier who just want to come on the bed, but once they're up on the bed...all is well.
  • You CAN'T always have 4 hours of straight sleep. Babies wake up because they're hungry and well I'm the pumping food supply. My husband warms and prepares a bottle and I get to pump...at any given hour of the night. Baby's diaper also needs to be changed at this time and calming songs may come in handy while she waits (cries hysterically) for her milk to come. 

I could really go on and on, but instead, I'll highlight a few of the perks of being a parent (even with bags under my eyes)
  • Our daughter is the result of the love between my husband and I.
  • It is incredible to realize that this being grew within me and now as she is before our eyes, we can see little characteristics that completely resemble both my husband and I.
  • I went through a rough pregnancy, labor and delivery just to be able to hold this miracle and that's only the beginning of things I would do for her. 
  • I praise God for the gift of being a Mommy and accept the huge responsibility of shaping this tiny human into a warrior, teaching her to take on life and fulfill her dreams.
All in all, there is just no comparison and I know that when this friend decides to start a family...He too will realize why I would take offense to his comment.



1 comment:

  1. oooohmigosh I so agree with you on this! Pet "parents" love to make this comparison but until you have your own kids you really have NO idea. I have a dog, too, so yes I understand the difference! Thanks for sharing on Time for Mom!

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