Families and their Pets
Getting a dog or cat can be a big decision for you. For people without children it could be life changing. I do know many people without children who treat their pets as their children.
I bet we have all known people who have decided to get a dog before children just to see if they can handle that commitment. Well, pets can end up being with you a lot longer. Well, unless the run away or you decide you can’t handle the responsibility that comes with having a pet.
I don’t think people think about how long of a commitment it is to raise a cat or dog. Some can live 20+ years. That’s sometimes longer than our children stay with us and you are feeding your pet, taking them to the doctor and boarding them when you take a vacation.
Children on the other hand do leave. Not totally but they go off to college, eventually they get married and start their own family. Usually leaving behind the dog that they wanted so much and you are left caring for the pet long after the kids are gone.
So looking back on the idea of a pet to see how you would handle the responsibility of children might make you second-guess that decision right? We love our pets unconditionally and they bring us great companionship. But had we thought about the long-term responsibility we were going to have with a pet, we might have thought twice.
I know for me I would not change a thing. But I didn’t realize that when my daughter begged us for our cats, it did not occur to me that someday she would leave and they would stay. Now she is off starting her amazing carefree life and I am here hiring a pet sitter to take care of the cats she so desperately wanted.
I never realized it until now. It’s funny to me remembering when my daughter was becoming increasingly independent and getting ready to venture out on her own. I felt sadness that she would be leaving soon, but now realizing I have the cats to keep me company is a blessing.
In a way, your cats can be like your teenager, needing you but not really needing you. They are independent like your teenager but then they need you to feed them, love them and pet them when they are ready. Our children are a gift that we can’t keep at home forever, so enjoy them, send them off to their lives and you are left loving the pets they left behind.
Now, back to the original question, are you ready for a pet? Remember that your children will eventually leave, and their pets are there to stay. Pets can enrich our lives long after the children are gone, and that’s something to think about as well.
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