Message ID: buu7en$m7p75$1@ID-202214.news.uni-berlin.de
My nephew and his wife live in Georgia. They have two large inside dogs. For Christmas, my sister asked them to not bring the dogs to her house. She offered to pay for their board in a nice kennel. However, they brought the dogs to her house and later to my house on Christmas. The dogs made "mistakes" in both of our houses.
These are educated people, both with college degrees. I think they were rude and thoughtless. Because of this we did not enjoy our holiday.
I feel they should have respected our wishes. If they want dogs in their house, that's fine with me. But not in mine. Am I wrong?
-- Joe
Dear Joe:
I'm amazed at how much of the post-holiday mail concerns dogs. Dog lovers need to realize that not everyone loves their pooches as they do. But the rest of us need to realize that dog owners often put their animals first, regardless.
If you can't bear dogs and think there is a likelihood that they will be accompanying their parents on an indoor outing, regardless of your stated wishes, perhaps it's best not to issue the invitation at all. I'd love to hear from dog owners who could explain this strange human behavior of bringing dogs to homes where it's certain they're not welcome.
While we are at it, can you possibly have your readers explain this strange behavior of parents who bring their children to homes, functions, movies, fine restaurants, theatres, concerts and other venues that are, to say the least, places where children are not welcome and it is inappropriate for them to be there?
Not only that, once they get there, they ask - no, demand - that special concessions be made to their perceived wants and needs: They go to mature rated movies with toddlers who shriek, and ruin the experience for other viewers, then have the nerve to complain about the violence and sexual content.
They go to upscale restaurants and demand booster seats and kids menus (along with kids prices) and become irate when they are not available. They allow their ambulatory creations to wander about the premises, creating a hazard for themselves and the waitstaff. Not to mention allowing them to disturb other patrons who are paying not only for the food but the ambiance of a fine dining experience. Then they become affronted when the other diners do not find their offspring as cute or charming as they do, and complain to the management.
The letters you have received concerning children at weddings are likely without number - brides who wish their weddings to be without children - parents who are incensed that their precious darlings are not invited. And those are the smarter ones who actually are actually literate enough to read the invitation. The rest just naturally assume that their feral offspring are welcome no matter what, and bring them anyway. Or the utterly clueless ones who lack any form of courtesy to their fellow guests and respect to the couple and allow their children to behave as howler monkeys throughout the ceremony.
Now, let's talk about the ones who simply cannot understand the concept of "adults only" gatherings and the words "get a sitter". These can range from a simple dinner party to gatherings of, euphemistically speaking, a more mature nature that are wildly inappropriate for their children. Yet parents bring them, seemingly without a second thought. They insist that others "child proof" their homes for their convenience, because they cannot be bothered to mind their kids and the concept of "look but don't touch" doesn't exist.
Tell me what (if anything) a 2 year old is going to get from the Opera? Or a live theatre performance of Hamlet? Tell me why Mom and Dad are bringing their precious young to mega-decibel rock concerts. I've seen them at all three with the usual results: screaming, wailing overstimulated kids who should have been home and in bed hours ago.
Is there some great cosmic shift in the consciousness of a lot of parents upon the birth of their children that they now view themselves as the center of the universe who can literally do no wrong?
Bringing dogs uninvited to other people's homes is disrespectful to the hosts. Allowing the dogs to have "accidents" is poor training and inattention on the part of the owners. There is no argument here, the dog owners behaved boorishly. However, this I will also say, I have been inconvenienced and irritated far less by dog owners, than I have by parents.
Childfree Abby
The ChildFree Abby Archives - http://www.dismal-light.net/childfreeabby/