There are some things people may not notice right away, but I'm sure a few readers will soon laugh and maybe even agree with the title of this article. I've worked at a daycare for close to two years now, and recently became a step-dad to two beautiful girls. Praise God, I also have another currently growing in my wife's belly. With the thrust of many children and a history of puppies one thing has come to my mind. Just how do we train our children? Some of the best methods have familiarity to them. I thought about it for a while, and it hit me with a roll of laughter. We teach our babies on into young children with lessons from the puppy manual.
I have spoken to some about my observations, and one example is a favorite among them, potty training. Many parents of children or puppies know the horrors and laughs of potty training. When you're potty training your kid, what is one of the ways you teach them? My wife and I, we jump up with excitement, clap our hands, cheer like teenagers at a high school football game, and last but not least, offer a treat. Puppy potty training is something similar. I had my first lesson with my puppy, Hiedi (a chow/something with a weak bladder), that took her first dump in my room. I was more than aware of the training to come.
Like the 1-2 year old that you've wiped “shue, shue” (a word my wife likes to use, off of for a hundred times a week, you know you're more than ready to get the “shue, shue” where it belongs. For kids it's the toilet, for dogs the outside, but for both an accomplished bathroom break means a treat, a pat on the head, and maybe a quick belly rub.
There are many other ways of the puppy. Take the disciplinary acts for an example. If the puppy wrestles too rough, or our perfect little angel dive bombs you from the back of the couch while you're sleeping, A quick verbal scolding is sure to follow. I once enjoyed a couch nap, but now see it as giving the enemy, a couple of short people with cute smiles in my house, the chance to pounce. Sometimes you'll get the puppy that will curl up with you to nap by your side, other times you get the sharp tooth or teeth through your sock and into your big toe. Same with kids.
If you have a kid/puppy you know my next few words are all too true. If you're still without such blessings, listen and learn to save from future mistakes. Who, if anyone, was given the “Where to place your food book for parents?” I sure wish I'd had one.
You place your hot plate of steak and potatoes with green beans on the dining table. You're about to sit down to eat. The smell is so, so, so good. Your about to start cutting in, and you realize you've forgotten your sweet-tea. So you get up to go get it, right? Not if you're smarter than the average parent. I was not.
My mouth was still watering for that great dinner, when I returned with my glass of sweet-tea. Two things here should be brought to attention. Two reasons why not to leave your plate. One: the dog, loyal as they are, best friends of men, will eat YOUR food. Two: though not as common, a large ball flying through the air, known as your child, crashes into the table/food. Your steak, unless you or your spouse is a neat freak, lands in toys, laundry, and/or some type of guck you bought the kids because it glowed green. Either way the food is lost, and your loved one has got the saddest face in the whole world. Don't punish them, laugh, cry, and then poor you a bowl of cereal.
Children and puppies love to run and play, to snuggle, to wrestle, to kiss, to climb, and to take those items you thought were safe, and prove you wrong. I've recently learned a few facts that fall on baby and puppy families. You may recognize a few.
1: Pee, baby or puppy, will come out of sheet, pillows, clothes, rugs, and even the back seat of your vehicle.
2: Food, saliva, crayons, markers (not permanent), and kisses can all be removed off a television screen with your basic glass cleaner and some scrubbing. (Also works on windows, mirrors, and some wooden furniture.)
3: No matter how much rigging you put up in your house and backyard, a persistent child/puppy will find a way around, over, or through them. Our two year old, cute and silly, is also brilliant (as any parent would say about their little girl.) We can put stuff two feet higher than her, and she'll get a chair, or her “secret weapon”, the stool. My wife named that thing properly. She'll use it to get o just about anything. The lock on the stove door, she tosses off like it was a sticker. And my favorite among puppies and children, the gate, can't stop anything past the crawling stage. I've watched puppies and children climb this thing, rip it open, or just un-lock it.
4: Insurance, insurance, insurance! If you buy something, and the seller offers you insurance, take it. I don't care if it's a lamp, a lap-top, or a necklace. Insurance is and will most likely come in handy. Here's an example. I just got this jeep, and it's my favorite toy. I have the girls in it twice a day or more. In less than a year I've found a rib bone under the passenger seat, pulled out bananas with fruit flies on them, sucked up left over happy meals at every car wash I've been to, and I still don't know what happened to my speaker knob.
5: Last, and maybe the most important, is nap time. This time known as nap time is sacred. For puppy or child this is a time to be thoroughly enjoyed. The kids are asleep, my wife and I take time to be with each other, to get a nap in for ourselves, but we do not, I tell you we DO NOT, wake them up. This is also one of those times when your child/puppy looks the cutest. Take a picture, it's one you'll go back to look at when you look at your destroyed home, a long day at work, or just a moment with your loved one.
This is all for children and puppies. So remember, children are a blessing from God, and that puppy that just ate you shoe will one day grow up to be your best friend.
