My parents, who raised two actual (and now grown) children, still call their dogs their babies. In fact, I get updates on my “little brother,” aka the puppy, all the time.
They love their dogs. They, of course, love my (human) sister and myself more, but why shouldn’t they be able to call their dogs whatever they want? Because some parents dissaprove?
It was a tossup whether to use the term “pathetic” or “pitiful”, actually.
I’m guessing most people can distinguish the difference.
A lot of people have very close bonds with their animals. No one else has a right to judge that. It’s not hurting anyone in this thread if they call themselves their pets’ parents.
Really, I can’t believe this is even an issue. People will take offense at anything.
You sure about that? I mean, have you checked the will lately?
Whoosh!
My point was that neither babies nor pets are interchangeable. There are plenty of available replacements, but none will truly take another’s place. I’ve only had one child. If she had died in infancy or childhood, I very much doubt that my husband and I would have been able to instantly take in another child and be consoled. We would mourn our daughter forever, whether we ever had another child. I’ve had quite a few pets over the years. When they die, yes, I usually get another pet of the same species in a few months…but not as a replacement. It’s not right to put a pet down just because it’s a nuisance. It’s quite another thing to put down a pet that’s suffering and that really won’t get better.
When one of my sisters died (of leukemia when she was a year old), many people tried to console my parents by telling them that they could always have another baby. Needless to say, my parents didn’t find this very comforting. They did eventually go on to have two more children, but neither of those kids was a replacement for my dead sister. My brother was born 3 months premature, when it was almost unheard of for preemies that small to survive. My parents ran up a huge bill, but Johnny pulled through. My parents thought that heroic measures were called for, because there was a chance that he could pull through and live a full life. However, when my parents went into a nursing home, my father gave instructions that they didn’t want any heroic measures taken, as they were in their 70s and not in good health. Mama has Alzheimer’s, so couldn’t give such instructions herself. My father was of the opinion that heroic measures were likely to be ineffective and just prolong the suffering.
Yes, humans and non-humans are different, and we have different standards for their care…but it’s still possible to be extremely attached to one particular individual, and to say “Just get another one and get over the first one” is pretty callous, in my opinion.
You do realize they are legitimately leaving to go take actual care of their animals - most likely to keep them from peeing on the floor - and not just making up an excuse to leave that just SOUNDS important right? If thy happen to describe it as taking care of their babies and that makes you mad that doesn’t negate the fact that they actually have sentient beings at home that actually need their attention.
It also doesn’t mean that ALL childless pet owners are like that. Confirmation bias and all that.
This - times three. If you’ve never had a cat in residence you have no idea how much of an indentured servant you become!