Companions
My home is filled with children and pets. Some are mine, some are, just like in Monopoly, Just visiting. It makes for a chaotic life, but long before we had kids, we had pets.
Isn't it funny how you remember your pets from childhood? Each one had some special quality but they all give you undivided adoration.
One way to get lots of pets (other than having children beg for them) is to have a husband working part time at a pet store. In our small one bedroom apartment, we had two rabbits, a cat, and our fish tanks began to multiply. At one point, or rabbit population went to zero, but the cats doubled and the fish tanks multiplied to 7 or 8. We got a turtle along the way, finches for a while, and never underestimate the entertainment value of a crawfish.
So, now, along with the photos of our family, we've started a gallery of pets, past and present.
Looking at old photos for that project, I found inspiration for a quilt. Snuggles was a very sweet kitty who moved with us from Ohio, to Florida and on to Missouri before she passed away. Her companion cat, Pumpkin, lasted a few more years before she had to be put to sleep.
Since then, we've had 2-K (named by my DH who wanted people to ask, "why 2-K?" ) Who absolutely hated me and passed away from something the vet never pinpointed. So then, our latest kitty is Psyche. (whose name provides me with an easy check of the quality of education a person received )
Well, currently, besides the cat, we have a dog and two turtles, a tank of fish, and a red-bellied toad (which is rather boring, to be honest. ) What I do have is a daughter who loves animals and is contented begging for additions to the group. DH has refused any notion of adding rodent-type pets, so we are stuck with what we have.
A solution is to have her volunteer at the animal shelter (and we have even fostered a dog to socialize it) but currently, it's under quarantine so we haven't visited.
I know people who are fanatics about their pets. Treating them as children, instead of an animal. Of course, you see those "stars" who walk around carrying a dog and dressing them up, sending them to spas, etc.. It's crazy, but then, compared to children, dogs never tell you no. They do minimal damage. They won't turn to drugs. They don't have to go to college to succeed in life. As long as you can afford vet bills and county tags, you are doing well by them. You don't have to buy clothes for them. (some are amused by it, however) Food costs are much lower, especially when you are talking about teenagers.
Maybe some make the decision not to have children, they believe pets are good enough. But, with all the heartbreak, is some real jewel -like moments that kids can bring and pets cannot.
I'll stick with the kids.