I don’t need to tell anyone that being a mom is both the easiest and hardest job in the world. Easy because you love them, in some visceral hormonally funded instinctive way. Children are a blessing. When you have a child you discover love unlike any you’ve ever experienced **cue floating hearts and symphony music**
Aaaaaaand also levels of frustration that make you wonder if you might just have a stroke some days. There are certain stages of parenthood where you understand and empathize with the species that eat their young! Not that I’m recommending that, of course (the lawyers made me say that)
For millions of people, animals also hold a special place in our souls. They can provide the truest unconditional love, and bring us comfort and enrich our lives in countless ways. We call them fur-kids, buy them clothes and strollers and complain because we can’t claim them on our taxes (Although really, the little freeloaders should be a deduction, it seems only right)
Kids and pets go together like peanut butter …no, wait – allergies. Like spaghetti (gluten free if ya need it) and meatballs (or appropriate vegan substitute). There are so many benefits for kids that grow up with pets, and as pet owning moms we get to witness the incredible bonds and often hilarious interactions between them. Pets teach children kindness and responsibility:
Being a vet tech mom is next level though, and frankly our kids are so lucky to have us.
We have immense patience and great observation skills – our patients don’t talk so we are uniquely qualified to bring those crying bundles of joy home and keep them alive. We have a very high tolerance for whining, bad smells, messy floors and all the gross things – AND we already discuss poop like we have a PhD in it.
Kitty burritos = excellent baby swaddling skills.
We know how to medicate uncooperative patients and can scarf a meal in 3 minutes flat with a tongue depressor – so we will be able to finish eating before the nap ends.
Below are some ways to tell if you or someone you love is a vet tech mom:
- You have at some point….or more than once…said you needed to take your kid to the vet
- As long as you don’t ask for a rabies vaccine, it’s fine
- You have considered giving your teething child a Nylabone
- If they’re good enough for puppies….I mean, better that than a frozen chicken foot
- You have pictures of your human and canine children sitting in the same crate. Or the child in the crate while the dog stands outside looking offended
- Your young child points to a dog in public with testicles and suggests neutering to the owner
- For future reference, some people do not find this adorable so use caution, and try not to giggle while the owner is in earshot
- Your child judges a pet owner in the grocery store who is buying OTC flea & tick control
- Before agreeing to a play date, your kid asks what kind of pet they have
- Ar 2am you have heaved a sigh of relief while squinting at a thermometer that reads 101.4, before your co parent reminds you that for a human, that is actually not a normal temperature (oops)
- It takes at least 4 tries before you yell the correct name across the house, and the list included 1 dog and 2 cats and possibly a guinea pig before you got to the creature you actually gave birth to
- And finally, you have trouble understanding why your mother in law gets so worked up about germs
- Studies do show kids who grow up around animals have better immune systems anyway
