it is quite funny and interesting to me how common it is that we see/hear the story of "strict, grumpy parent says 'we're not getting a pet', and then subsequently goes on to fawn all over the pet".
I think there's something compelling to be examined here
I think there's something compelling to be examined here
my sense is – these parents are weary from having to be responsible for everything, and they're averse to the idea because they're intimately acquainted with all the possible downsides. will the kids get bored of the pet, will they be negligent, another mouth to feed...
but also, pets are kinda magical in the sense that they are the children that never grow up. sure you gotta feed em, walk em and clean up after them, but you don't really have to worry about being responsible for the development of their character. you can't really "spoil" a pet
the older I get, the better my relationship with my parents becomes – and I think a lot of this has to do with the relief they feel at not having to worry about me. (IMO they never had to worry about me, but that's easy for me to say, lol.) they seem more open, relaxed, honest
this can be kind of a tearful thought: maybe... how your parents fawn over your pets might be a glimpse of how your parents maybe secretly wish they could fawn over you, but feel that they can't, because of ~society~. they gotta make sure you're "parented" properly
one way in which "the political is personal" is how the state of the world affects the state of the most intimate relationships. I never quite got to be alone with my parents; the spectre of "what will people think" (about their parenting) was always with us. maybe less so now
ooof yeah this fits / resonates
