Papa is probably going off his experiences - nothing wrong with that. Scary, but I know quite a few people (mostly friends of my parents or their neighbors) that their animals are viewed the same as kids. It's more common than you think.
From my very limited experience, you can prepare yourself all you wish, but you're never really ready to be a parent. Even when they handed me some scissors to cut my boy's umbilical cord and then handed him to me, I still wasn't ready. My thought was, "Holy s**t; this is a ride I can never get off." Worse yet, you don't really know the kind of parent you'll be. I've had friends convinced they'd be terrific parents hate the experience and vice versa. Parenting isn't hard, but it is relentless. It sucks, but the only teacher is experience. You do the best you can, f**k up all the time and hope for the best. Good thing kids are resilient.
I am aware some folks treat pets like children; IMO it's insulting to the animal. Maxie, at least you had 9 months to prepare, sort of. My niece is adopted; my brother and sister in law got a call about an available baby and needed to get from Bay Area to San Diego the next day to pick her up. My brother and I were supposed to go to an A's game; I was startled to get a frantic phone message that he was canceling because they were going to get a baby. WTF? They had no baby stuff; fortunately friends were able to loan some basics. The first few weeks the baby slept wherever they put her down, although she didn't seem to suffer for it. They ate meals wherever. And since she was adopted a social worker was coming to view the nursery and make sure everything was organized and the house clean, none of which were the case. After her naming ceremony, my father offered to baby sit so they could get the house cleaned and the baby's room set up. The child came out fine, though! She's 14 now.
You don't have to view or treat pets the same as kids for having pets to be similar to having kids. They are obviously similar.
Agreed. But for those that don't know (i.e. people who have never had kids), I give them the benefit of the doubt. People think they know, but unless they've had kids, they don't (but they never fail to presume to know because they have nieces or nephews, or friends with kids). This may offend some, but kids are just dumb animals. You have to train and teach them. If not, they willl take over, run the show, and do what they want. Just like any animals I've ever had.
Well, that was my theory before I had any kids, but yes, my son confirmed for me the validity of my philosophy. However, my understanding is that while boys are more difficult in the early years, the girl will make me go gray as a teenager. I think I'm glad that I have one of each.
I wish I had started a family when I was in my early thirties. Back when there was at least a small chance that a woman wouldn't cringe at seeing me naked without all that wearing a mask and running across football fields...
Will agree with any of the comments that say pets and kids are different and should not be compared. Kids need far more guidance. A pet puts a slight dent on how a household operates. A kid turns it upside down. As maxiep said, it is a ride that continues whether you are ready or not.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure these theories apply. It's how I knew you at least had one boy. I have two daughters. They are awesome now, but I probably won't make it much past 40, when they're in their teens. People complain about how difficult their children are. I'm always shocked, but I know my time is coming. Both of my girls slept at least 8-10 uninterrupted hours every single night from their first nights in the hospital until today. I got a lot of sleep in my 20's. I don't expect the same luxury in my 40's.
