Doggy Daddy

Not too long after Malcolm was born, I started getting the questions from others about having another child. While these questions have continued for years, they have died out recently, I'm guessing because Malcolm is turning 7 next month. The "natural, usual" gap between first and second child has long passed.

A few months ago, Don and I had a serious talk about having a baby. We ultimately decided against it, and opted for a dog instead. (That's a fair swap, right?) We adopted June (a now 9-month-old Puggle) from the Toledo Animal Shelter about a month ago. Silly me, I thought getting a puppy would be a lot simpler than having another baby. Granted, you can't lock a baby up in a crate all day (well, you COULD...but you shouldn't). But I swear that dog chews on more things than Malcolm ever did, and we suddenly find ourselves with baby gates again. Joy.

In all seriousness, we love our new puppy. She is absolutely ADORABLE. A pain in the butt, yes...but those big black eyes and the late-evening cuddling make up for it. We've lost sleep, some socks, a pair of flip flops, a cup, a few toys and a chunk out of the ottoman...but it's all good. She's a part of the family now.

What's amazing about this whole puppy experience is the characteristics we've seen come out in Malcolm. He has quite taken to being a "Doggy Daddy." He feeds her, helps bathe her, cleans up after her, plays with her. He helps to discipline her and train her. And in some ways, having the puppy IS like having another child - I have to break up their fights, and listen to Malcolm whine about June taking his toys. But overall, Malcolm behaves more around June like a responsible parent, rather than a combative sibling. It's pretty awesome.

The way he interacts with June has also been eye-opening to me about how he must perceive us as parents. Any time he interacts with her in a way I don't think is nice, I have to stop and examine, and figure out where he learned that behavior. Is it because it's how we've treated him? Sometimes, it is. Sometimes, he TELLS us that it is. And then, I find myself being the one who is being "disciplined." It's just another way in which my child holds a mirror up to me, forcing me into self-examination. And growth.

As painful as it can sometimes be, discovering these self-reflective moments is rewarding and wonderful, because it helps me to become a better person. I believe that the puppy ownership experience will create a lot of them, as we work with Malcolm on his "Doggy Daddy" moments. I truly look forward to these reflections of me.

Except today, when Malcolm told June to "shut her pie hole." That, my friends, was a reflection of Don.