Mark Twain really does speak the truth...

"Adopting a dog is the closest you'll ever have to picking a family member."

I don't have kids. I keep mentioning that teaching is the best form of birth control I have ever encountered. Grant you, we lack a uterus between us, so that makes it difficult when you really think about it. There's an adoption option, surely, which involves in basically giving a shitload of cash to people who are completely overburdened and just wanna check to see if you have a clean bathroom. Once they discover that, they'll ask for more money and then send you through the American court system.

Just so you can give a kid a life.

It's ridiculous. My life is stressful as a teacher. I have a lot of responsibility for many, many children and have to really follow up. And I will tell you, for every group of parents I meet, the signs can be mixed. For every one that really is working towards their kids' future, there is an equal an opposite one that is screaming and yelling about their clothing not being matched or that I'm too nosy.

Who am I to tell them how to raise their kids? I cannot see into their homes, I don't know what stressors pull them this way or that. But I have seen many more parents then they have.

I am so sick right now, I cannot even hear out of my left ear and both eyes are so overly infected with pink eyes that blinking can be somewhat of a chore. Yet, stranded to the bedroom with warm tea, who came to my rescue? My husband, of course, and he had a choice.

But someone else was there.

My dog. And she had more of a choice. Being only a foot off the ground, this house is truly a castle. I can only imagine what she had to struggle to do merely climb onto that bed. I did not ask her to be there. I didn't see to it she kept me company.

She came on her own accord. She left when dinner called.

She was there when she was needed. She left when her personal issues intersected.

Can kids be like that? Absolutley. Same with parents.

The drawbacks? I can't think of one. Heck we pretty much bought the house to indulge in a dog--I see very few drawbacks of having this dog.

Wereas, kids? Nah.

if a situation were to exist where we could be parents? Sure, I think we might do fine--but I am in no hurry to see how that pans out...