Today being my blog's three-year anniversary, the tributes have been pouring in. This appreciation, "Poodle Saves Family", first appeared in the Midsight Crisis blog:
People often talk about how good it is for a family with school-age children to get a dog. It's supposed to teach the children responsibility and give them a companion.
And, as the mother of older children, I am aware that our dog, whom I infantilize shamelessly, fills my need for a little cuddlekins like my children used to be.
But until recently I never noticed that having a dog has a direct benefit for older adolescent boys and young adults. A teenager who would not be caught dead being soft or cuddly with other members of his family is not ashamed to melt over his dog. And, in a way, the dog has become a campfire for all of us: We can sit around and coo over him together, even when it's not appropriate for us to coo at each other any more.
To my family, I am the most important guy. I am the campfire.
love you and miss you, lambie. keep up the good work!
-Thomas
Posted by: Thomas Stigler | 04/26/2012 at 01:20 PM