Dogging
I used to go walking. Then for a while I was going stroller-reading (you can read about that here). Now, I go "dogging" with Little Man. Let me explain.
Littles has a new obsession: dogs. His first words to me upon waking are "dog" and "woof". He spends most of breakfast pointing towards our neighbor's house and emphatically demanding to see their husky. Then, when we go for our morning walk, he entertains himself by pointing excitedly at every house with a fence and barking. He gets upset if my walking route doesn't yield enough dog-watching opportunities. No lie. Consequently, I can, two and a half weeks in, draw a map of our neighborhood based on who does and does not own a dog. Also, I am currently cutting a deal with Josh, who has long asked for a canine companion, in order to regain some personal peace of mind. To be simple: Littles has worn me down. And I concede defeat.
Let me be honest, I'm not typically the mother who gives their child everything he/she wants. I have endured my fair share of tantrums. But it's not that Littles is being bad in this regard...he's just frighteningly persistent. And I've found myself going to bed at night when all I can hear going through my brain is "dog! dog! dog!" and "woof! woof! woo-woof!" It's like spending all day driving and when you close your eyes at the end of the day, you still see the road and steering wheel in front of you, and your mind is fabricating cars to pass, and your foot can almost feel the imprint of the gas petal. It's like that, but with a one year old's excitable squeals reverberating in my mind. So today I sat back and asked myself why I was being so resistant about getting a dog (other than the fact that I'm pregnant and dogs and kids are tiring) and what my goals were for Littles anyway. And I realized that, while of course I don't want to give him everything he wants in life just because he wants it, I do want him to know that I love him enough to give him something that's going to teach him responsibility and gentleness and sacrifice. And that there's absolutely nothing wrong with just wanting to make someone a little happier.
That being said, I emailed the Man tonight with the Dog Deal. It includes 11 nonnegotiable terms under which I will consent to getting a dog. And yes, I plan to get it signed in blood. Then framed. And then placed somewhere where the Man and the Little Man (when he learns to read) will see it every. single. day. until that dog goes to the Happy Hunting Grounds. And here I thought we weren't going to become a family of five until January... the fourth, of course, being Oswald who is not going to like how things are progressing. Not at all.
Littles has a new obsession: dogs. His first words to me upon waking are "dog" and "woof". He spends most of breakfast pointing towards our neighbor's house and emphatically demanding to see their husky. Then, when we go for our morning walk, he entertains himself by pointing excitedly at every house with a fence and barking. He gets upset if my walking route doesn't yield enough dog-watching opportunities. No lie. Consequently, I can, two and a half weeks in, draw a map of our neighborhood based on who does and does not own a dog. Also, I am currently cutting a deal with Josh, who has long asked for a canine companion, in order to regain some personal peace of mind. To be simple: Littles has worn me down. And I concede defeat.
Let me be honest, I'm not typically the mother who gives their child everything he/she wants. I have endured my fair share of tantrums. But it's not that Littles is being bad in this regard...he's just frighteningly persistent. And I've found myself going to bed at night when all I can hear going through my brain is "dog! dog! dog!" and "woof! woof! woo-woof!" It's like spending all day driving and when you close your eyes at the end of the day, you still see the road and steering wheel in front of you, and your mind is fabricating cars to pass, and your foot can almost feel the imprint of the gas petal. It's like that, but with a one year old's excitable squeals reverberating in my mind. So today I sat back and asked myself why I was being so resistant about getting a dog (other than the fact that I'm pregnant and dogs and kids are tiring) and what my goals were for Littles anyway. And I realized that, while of course I don't want to give him everything he wants in life just because he wants it, I do want him to know that I love him enough to give him something that's going to teach him responsibility and gentleness and sacrifice. And that there's absolutely nothing wrong with just wanting to make someone a little happier.
That being said, I emailed the Man tonight with the Dog Deal. It includes 11 nonnegotiable terms under which I will consent to getting a dog. And yes, I plan to get it signed in blood. Then framed. And then placed somewhere where the Man and the Little Man (when he learns to read) will see it every. single. day. until that dog goes to the Happy Hunting Grounds. And here I thought we weren't going to become a family of five until January... the fourth, of course, being Oswald who is not going to like how things are progressing. Not at all.
