You know those moments where you are faced with making a decision, a life-changing decision that would change the dynamics at home? Well, I’ve been in the midst of processing through just that. Lop on top some emotion, and it’s been a real struggle to decide what to do.
We are considering adopting a puppy. My husband came home from the groomer/boarder after picking up our two dogs to tell me about this precious puppy that looked right through his soul. He was hooked.
And I didn’t squawk at the idea. In fact, I entertained it, which shocked the he** out of me. A precious pup that needs to be rescued and loved.
Sounds adorable and fun, doesn’t it? She is – she is precious. Hence all the emotion. The problem is multifold. I have a vision of the dog I want her to be, and I have absolutely no idea if that’s even reasonable. I’m thinking it’s not. You get what you get. You train as well as you can, but you still get what you get. Plus, I have two dogs already that are not trained. Two bad influences that will be part of the puppy’s new pack. She will learn from them. And on top of that, all the training would be on my shoulders. I’m just being realistic. Lord knows I love my husband with all my heart, but all I have to go on are two dogs he’s had that were never trained. And no inclination or effort to do so at all. It would be foolish of me to assume he would jump right on board with the necessary training methods to have a well-behaved dog.
So, I kind of asked him. Actually, I didn’t ask him. I stated my concern of having it all be on me and my efforts being circumvented because others in the house are not helping with the same training and likely would be working against it. It’s a recipe for a complete disaster. He agreed.
I needed to hear him say that he would take this effort on at my side and learn whatever he needs to learn to help train her. But he didn’t. So, I think that answers my question. In a case like this, he needs to be all in. And he basically just told me he’s not in an indirect way. The kids will be disappointed, but they have no idea the undertaking required to care for and train a puppy. They only want a puppy when it’s convenient to them.
So, I guess I find myself with this big-girl decision and all I keep chanting in my head is “When in doubt, simplify… when in doubt, simplify.” It has always been my go to rule of thumb and has served me very well.
I feel relieved.
whenindoubtsimplify 