Yesterday, I went on a field trip with my daughter’s class as a chaperone. I was reminded, yet again, of why I became a veterinarian. The teacher is an angel on earth and I do not, for one second, think I could do what she does.
I watched one nine year old dissolve into an inconsolable heap of tears because she lost during a game of Red Rover. I watched another child, who was walking barefoot on the park grass, get called over by her mother and told to apply hand sanitizer to her feet at once. At least 3 boys came near to destroying some ancient archaeological artifact or another. It was chaos.
On the way home, my daughter showed me a poem she had written for school. Apparently part of the grading involved being critiqued by a classmate (blue). And my daughter, being MY daughter after all, had to have the last word.
And dangit, I want to cry but I also laughed my head off because I KNOW she wrote that response with the exact same eye-rolly sigh that I use. SO my kid, in so many ways.
Being a mother to humans is a confusing and often frightening endeavor that often leaves me feeling either inadequate, elated, or exhausted. It’s a sine curve with an amplitude of a million, which is why on Mothers Day so many of us buy a flower arrangement with the vague disquieting sense of guilt that “this doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
Being a pet mom is so much simpler, at least the way I do it. They eat, they go outside, we hang out, no one gets called by the principal. They are a stabilizing force in a world that’s always trying to destabilize you. I came home after that exhausting day, collapsed (barefoot) on the lawn, and let Brody console me with doggy kisses (with his probably gross tongue.) It’s a little more straightforward: Hi, I love you, yep. And for that, I am so grateful. I’m grateful for both experiences, actually; each so different and it makes me appreciate the other all the more.
May your highs be every higher and your lows, well, not so bad, and through it all a pet to call your own and make you glad.
–Old Irish Proverb I just made up
May moms of all shapes, sizes and types have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Happy Mom’s Day and you are right, being a pet Mom is way easier and I don’t feel I have to worry about what I’m leaving in society (less stress) when I’m gone.
I love your Old Irish proverb! I so love being a pet mom. Their love gets me through all the tough times. Of course, since one is a parrot, I’ll have a son living with me when he’s 35 (I hope!), but you can’t win ’em all 😉
Give that girl a big hug, please. I can just hear the tone of voice, exasperated and sweet at the same time.
OMG I love that kid so much. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAAAAAA. It also breaks my heart too she is so sad about Koa. This one hit her hard, Koa was her first heart dog.
What a fun kiddo! And I must confess, we’ve been called by the “principal,” aka animal control, for our dear little Golden Retriever. Our Trixie is a mere 50 pounds and a tiny little 2.5 years old but she has some serious leg muscles. This past weekend she learned a new skill-jumping over our 4 foot chain link fence into the neighbor’s yard, jumping THAT fence, and frolicking around our neighborhood at 10pm. I better get one heck of a Mother’s Day present from that little stinker!
Adore this. And I give props to all the moms of human children out there. I don’t know how you do it. I’ll just stick with my fur-children, thank you very much. Cheers to you all!
Happy Mothers Day Dr.V
Your daughter is amazingly special, bless her heart. If not to personal – how old/or grade if you rather? I could never do a teachers job either! Kudo’s to them. My fur-kids always lift my spirit, all I have to do is look at their face and wagging tails.
I love your daughter’s poem, more especially with her comments. Beautiful, sweet,
thoughtful. Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely LOVE the poem, and the idea that we are ‘moms’ to our pets. I got home from working the flower shop all weekend and Lizzie was kissing me like I’d been gone for years. Even my husband’s not-so-licky golden (go figure!) came over and gave my knees a good wash. Your daughter hasn’t fallen far from the tree and I think that’s a good thing!