A Mom Doesn't Know What To Do About Her 'Dog Mom' Friend Who Gets 'Sour' When She's Too Busy With Her Kid To Hang Out
Her friend says that she's 'a mom too,' except in her case, her only responsibility is her dog!
Helena Lopes & Rodnae Productions / Pexels A 23-year-old mom is sick of her friend acting like their hardships are the same just because her pal is also a parent — a dog parent.
Yup, the mom is dealing with some conflict because her friend keeps getting frustrated when she can't hang out because of her real-life human baby. Meanwhile, her 24-year-old friend's fur baby never gets in the way of her plans with friends!
So, naturally, the frustrated friend needed a place to vent and wrote into Reddit's r/trueoffmychest subreddit.
Her 'dog mom' friend doesn't understand that having a baby means you don't always have a lot of time to socialize.
Her friend “always gets sour” when she can’t hang out because she’s too busy raising her child.
Understandably, the young mom doesn't go out too often anymore. She's grateful to her friend for constantly extending an invitation to hang out — other friends don't even do that much — but she often ends up turning down the invite.
That constant rejection has upset her friend — a normal reaction. But, what isn't so normal is her friend's belief that the mom doesn't have a valid excuse.
Her friend claims, "‘Well, I’m a mom too,’ and acts like she understands, but clearly doesn’t because she doesn’t have a child.’"
“I am a dog person, I love dogs, I grew up with dogs,” said the mom. “The only reason why I don’t have one right now is because I don’t have the time and it wouldn’t be fair to the dog.”
She's upset that her pal seems to be out of touch about the realities of parenting. “It really bothers me, and is kind of insulting to me, when she acts like her being a dog mom and me being a mother is the same thing,” she stated.
“I swear every time I bring up being a mom she says, ‘Well I’m a mom too!’” she explains, “She is saying it like, “Well I’m a mom too and I have time to do all these things like party with my friends every weekend and drink.”
"She also gets insulted when I don’t call her a mom too, or if I don’t act like she’s a mother too. Of course, she’s a dog mom, but it’s just not the same."
She wondered if she was in the wrong for being bothered by her friend’s insistence that motherhood and dog ownership were on equal footing.
The majority of the comments supported the mom’s perspective over that of the friend, noting that raising a child and caring for a pet makeup entirely separate roles.
“I have had kids and dogs,” said one person, "Totally different! Dogs are happy with a few walks, food, water and belly rubs. Kids need to be entertained, fed, changed, bathed, [given] naps and bedtime. Dogs can be left alone at home, babies can't!”
"I’m a 'dog dad,' and I love these two animals more than myself or anything else in this world. They are my family," offered another user before defending the mom.
"THAT SAID, it’s absolutely bonkers to consider myself as anything more than a responsible pet owner. I am NOT a father, even if I call myself a 'dog dad' or pet parent. I didn’t have to spend over a year of sleepless nights keeping a human alive, I don’t have to worry about imparting my values, and I sure as s--t don’t have to hire a babysitter if I want to go out for the night."
"Your friend needs a harsh reality check, preferably from someone who isn’t you, so they can be blunt as possible," he continued, "Show her this thread for all I care, she needs to snap out of this delusion."
The Brookings Institute reported that “due to inflation, a middle-income family with two children will now spend $26,011 more to raise a child to the age of 17.”
According to the Brookings Institute’s estimations, “total family expenditures on a child born in 2015 to a middle-class family with two children, adjusted for higher expected future inflation, would be $310,605.”
Dog owners, on the other hand, don’t have the responsibilities or costs associated with child-rearing. While certain dog breeds cost more than others, the price isn't as high as raising a child to adulthood.
The annual cost of dog ownership during the first year ranges from $1,050 to $4,480, and between $480 and $3,470 for each following year. While the love a dog owner has for their pet knows no bounds, the act of raising an animal differs greatly from raising a child into adulthood.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.