Sunday, June 01, 2008

This one is pretty cute and makes sense to me!

"Dogs and Cats Explained"...


I just realized that while children are dogs...loyal and affectionate...teenagers are cats.

It's so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.

Then around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging your doorstep, it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets hungry ... then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you're serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.

You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won't go on family outings. Since you're the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.

Only now you're dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it and it runs away. Tell it to sit and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away.

Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you can learn to behave like a cat owner. Put a dish of food near the door and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and your affection too. Sit still and it will come, seeking that warm, comforting lap it has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.

One day your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, "You've been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you." Then you'll realize your cat is a dog again.


SPEAKING OF CHILDREN, OUR OLDEST CHILD IS HAVING A BIRTHDAY TODAY. PLEASE GO HERE AND WISH HER A HAPPY DAY ANGELA

8 comments:

Mental P Mama said...

What a great post! I have two cats right now. They usually come to me when they need something like, oh, say, money. And then they purr and smile...

Reader Wil said...

Happy birthday to Angela! My daughter Marjolein was having hers on Wednesday, 28th of May. And Dina's daughter is having her birthday today! So there were many daughters born in May! It's a good month for daughters. Lots of happiness to Angela!

DeeMom said...

“Teenagers are cats.”

Oh this caught my eye

I read on

“It gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting.”


ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING

WHAT A HOOT great Post

George is 13…

Jazzy is 4 Puppies 9 weeks

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Patty, I agree with you. Children are dogs, teeangers are cats! Of course, they're both lovable in their own way, aren't they. Cute post. Oh, and I like your new quote!

Have a good night!

Now off I go to wish Angela a Happy Birthday, although I'm almost too late!

Renie

Tomate Farcie said...

It's hard to be a teenager. Wouldn't want to go through that again! Pfeww. ;)

Wanda said...

Oh Patty, what a great post! I've had them all ~~ and this is truth if I every heard it!!!

Happy Birthday Angela!!

Melinda said...

great analogy mom!

Unknown said...

Makes me think of my nieces when they were teenagers...funny when I think of this. lol