Dog Days: How Puppies and Children Are Alike

Our household has been filled with the fabled antics of a puppy, as well as the joy and the trials.The German Shepherd-Collie's name is Fable. Fable has been a reminder of what it is like to have a new baby in the house.

Crying at night, getting up to see to her toileting and feeding needs, mishaps on the floor, toys strewn through the living room, mealtimes interrupted, eager puppy pouncing around playfully, toddling down the deck steps. A reminder that in the first days of life, puppies-- like babies-- mainly eat, go the bathroom, play, and sleep. And what a relief it is when they do drift off to sleep. We walk quietly around the house so she'll stay asleep.

I'm happy that my children are now old enough (20, 18 and 15) to actually help with the work of raising a puppy. I think they are a little surprised, actually, at how annoying a puppy can be, always jumping up, chewing on things, wanting to play when you want to be quiet.

The deeper truth I'm rediscovering is that kids, like puppies, take a lot of work and discipline. I talked recently to a woman who does home visits for a social service agency, and her profound impression from the hundreds of homes she visits isthat too few parents are prepared or willing to do the work of raising a child. "When you are sitting down and reading the paper or resting, and the child acts up on the other side of the room and won't listen to you, parents don't know you have to get up out of that chair and go and deal with the child," she noted. "Too many parents think that children will fulfill their(the parents') needs, and forget that it goes both ways."

If children learn that we are weak and vacillating, they learn they don't have to listen to threats. They know that Dad or Mom says, "I'm only gonna tell you this one more time," and then proceed to repeat the same refrain over and over and over.

I know, because I've been the same way. Sometimes it is tempting to pretend to not see a child misbehaving, hoping that they will soon tire of it. My husband has helped me a lot with that. Together we have tried to learn the times to bend the rules, and listen to the concerns or viewpoints of the children.

So, whether you are raising a puppy or children, recognize that it is always a lot of hard work. Their youth and joy remind us that God is the creator of both! And so, enjoy the rewards and sloppy kisses of both.

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Contributed by Melodie Davis from her weekly columnANOTHER WAY (http://www.thirdway.com/aw/).For information on using Another Way in a local newspaper, contact:ANOTHER WAY, 1251 Virginia Ave., Harrisonburg, VA 22801-2497; or call1-800-999-3534; fax at 540-434-5556; or email me at:Melodie@mennomedia.org