Furbabies

I am a mama. My babies simply have four legs and a little more hair than yours. Yes, I really love my babies as much as you love yours. I pick up scattered toys, I clean up puke, I potty train, I soothe away fears and I want to pull my hair out when they are underfoot sometimes. I pay for food and shelter, healthcare costs and the like, I reward their successes and scold them for their misdoings. In these ways, I am just like you.

I teach my babies good manners, when we are in public they know they must behave. When they misbehave, I correct their behavior or remove them from the situation, I don’t simply ignore the disturbances they are creating for other people. My babies are not allowed to play unsupervised, creating havoc for those not responsible for them. In these ways, I may not be just like you.

I will not pass judgment on the money you spend for violin lessons or soccer gear. I will expect the same courtesy for the money I spend on daycare or playgroups. You may find the clothes/accessories my babies have as laughable, but stop and consider that I might find the way you dress your children laughable too, I am just too polite to say so. It is not my place to question the depth of your love for your children. Until you know what it’s like to hold your little furry one in your arms as they draw their last breath, you cannot question mine.

“If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”—Francis of Assisi