Z is in trouble because she disobeyed a request from her mother and instead got into a physical altercation with her. She’s here this weekend and has an attitude about the whole thing. She fell asleep on the couch. When I woke her up and told her to move to her bed she started to say something that wasn’t going to be pleasant. I gripped the pillow and said, “One!” in a tone perfected during years of owning hard-headed horses. The child rocketed up off the couch and headed to bed.
I was feeling all big and bad then. I was strutting to myself. Yeah, I’m tough and scary.
Then I called Freckles in from the back yard.
Nothing. Nada. No way. She looked at me and blew me right off. Nothing like a dog to deflate your inflated self importance.
My children are grown but I am a foster mom for my local place that raises guide dogs for the blind. I totally get your dog comment; it has happened to me too, even from these dogs that are so highly trained. When they don’t come when I call them (which they are ALWAYS supposed to do)!!!, I have learned to rattle a plastic bag. Every single one comes running…NONE of them can resist the sound of crunchy plastic and a possible treat. It took ME months to learn how to outsmart THEM. As a foster mom, they come and go for various reasons and amounts of time. At last, I have learned that even the most stubborn one will come running at this sound haha so now I am feeling like I have found my self importance again…thanks for your lovely post. xx debbie