New Mom Says She ‘Dreams’ About The Day Her Dogs Are No Longer In Her Home — ‘It’s Too Overstimulating’
“Having dogs and toddlers is so hard.”
Mariia Korneeva | Shutterstock While most individuals can’t think about the inevitable death of their pets without tearing up, some overstimulated parents are struggling to navigate parenthood and dog mom life simultaneously.
One new mom said she ‘dreams’ about the day she no longer has dogs in her home.
Madison Barbosa, a mom of two, recently posted a TikTok in which she revealed her unpopular opinion about mom and dog life.
She explained that she has two Australian Shepherds and one Allapaha Blue Blood Bulldog. “These were our three dogs before we had kids,” Barbosa said. “We could handle the three of them.”
However, things have changed since having children.
“Now I have two kids, and I'm ready when [the dogs] are if you catch my drift,” she said. “Having dogs while having a one and a two-year-old is so overstimulating.
"I'm not saying I dream about their death," Barbosa clarified. "I love them but I dream about the idea of not having dogs in my house anymore.”
Although her dogs were her "everything" before having kids, she now fantasizes about the peace she would feel not having to look after three energetic dogs in addition to her toddlers.
Barbosa admitted that she didn’t realize how overwhelmed she would feel after having kids or that having kids would lead to her dogs being “kicked to the curb emotionally.”
However, despite her stress, she doesn’t want to rehome her dogs who she still loves deeply.
Moms are allowed to feel stressed.
Barbosa has turned comments off for her video, likely due to many users strongly disagreeing with her take.
While it might seem inhumane to wish you no longer had the dogs you committed to, Barbosa’s feelings of stress and overwhelm are understandable and relatable.
She likely does not genuinely wish for her dogs to disappear. Rather, taking care of five beings takes a huge toll, especially when they’re all full of energy and require near-constant attention.
Now that Barbosa’s hands are full with two toddlers, her patience is running thin, and patience is an essential attribute when it comes to owning dogs, as they tend to be loud and messy. It's entirely understandable that she craves a break from the chaos.
“You don’t need to call PETA or anything. My dogs are taken care of,” Barbosa added. “They have a beautiful backyard that I'm staring into right now. They have all the toys. I’m just [expletive] complaining.”
“It’s hard having toddlers and animals,” she concluded.
Another mom and dog owner stitched Barbosa’s video with her conflicting take on the subject.
Barbosa’s opinion led to a controversial debate about the blessing it is to have animals in your life.
While some moms of higher-maintenance breeds can relate to the struggle of preserving patience, especially when toddlers are involved, other dog moms can’t imagine the idea of wishing they no longer had their precious pooches.
Amanda Renee explained she is a single mom to a six-year-old boy and two dogs, and she can’t relate to Barbosa’s take.
“Since [my dog] was about 7, she’s 11, I cry once a month thinking about the fact that she’s — I’m going to cry right now — realistically not going to live that much longer,” Renee broke down in her video, conveying how unimaginable the pain of losing your pet is.
Renee demonstrated just how much her pets mean to her, referring to her dog as her oldest child.
“I just saw a TikTok of a girl being like, ‘If you could give up your ability to have children in order to have your pet live til the day you die … would you?’” Renee shared. “While I wouldn’t give up my current son, absolutely not, I would probably give up my ability to have any more children if [my dog] would live forever.”
Dogs and kids both require one-on-one attention and intimate companionship.
Parents may feel divided about balancing toddler and dog mom life, but one thing remains true — both human kids and furry friends deserve to be given proper attention and love.
When these needs are not met due to a parent’s inability to manage both their kids’ and pets’ needs, the children and animals will both be more prone to misbehavior, only adding additional stress to your life.
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While parents can certainly balance having kids and pets simultaneously, it’s important to understand the workload that goes into caring for both. This is why some parents wait until their kids are old enough to help care for pets, and others simply choose between having a baby or a puppy.
Be mindful of how your choices impact your kids’ and pets’ lives, as they don’t know any better.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.