Before you read this, you should know that I understand that pets and children are different. However, my pets are my only dependents right now, so I am going to make a comparison anyway.
Our sweet, wonderful dog brings lots of joy to our family, but she can also be a bully sometimes. Like any bully, if you let her get away with it, she will keep on you, but if you stand up to her, she will retreat. Well, between my two cats, I have one (Missy) that has decided that she wants nothing to do with the dog (hates her, really) and another (Wuga) that sees the dog as another member of the family. Thus, when my bullying dog tries to get her way with Missy, Missy runs away, teaching Paris that she can continue her behavior. Wuga on the other hand, doesn't put up with the dog's crap at all. When Paris tries to get her way, by stealing water when Wuga is drinking, or stealing his napping place by pushing him out of the way, Wuga gives her a firm holler and doesn't budge. It is really impressive for me to watch. My little 20 lb cat setting the 50 lb dog in her place.
Now that I have set the stage, let me explain what the has to do with our baby.
As I watch my little Wuga stand up to our bully dog, I feel so proud. I don't think that there is anything that I have done to train Wuga that this is the best approach, besides loving him and always treating him as an equal member of this family. We say "Excuse me" when one is in the way, say "Sorry" if we bump him, etc. So I think he has learned that he is valuable and important, but we have done the same thing for Missy and she still runs. Thus, there is something inherent in Wuga that makes me proud of him. I hope that I can show our baby that he is important and valuable, and that he possesses whatever it is that will make him feel like he can stand up to bullies, even when they are more than twice his size.
