Playing Favorites!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

My daughter is at it again.  She seems to never miss an opportunity to tell people that I prefer Fudge and Vern over my own kids.  At Thanksgiving, she launched into a story about the Doodle Christmas card and can’t seem to let it go that I said ONE time I needed a family portrait done with just John, Fudge, Vern, and me.   The thing is I get no credit for handling this sticky situation with grace and finesse and it wasn’t like I screamed for her to get out of the picture.  I simply said, “Ok, for these family portraits, we are going to need you to step out of the frame and take the picture.”  She doesn’t give any of these details in the retelling of this story, but simply says her mother wanted a Christmas picture done with just the dogs.   When you hear her tell her version, it sounds like I shoved her out of the picture at the last minute and screamed, “Smile, Hayley just lost her footing.”

If that isn’t bad enough, she also loves to tell everyone that she has very few pictures of her childhood because I didn’t take any photos, but now I have a fancy camera and take a million of Fudge and Vern.  When I tell her there was no way her sister and she would ever have chased a tennis ball and brought it back to me in their mouths so I could get a good picture, she brings up stuff about graduations, birthdays, and school events.  I tell her all the time that I didn’t need any photos of those things because I remember it so clearly and I would be happy to draw her a picture from my memory, but she never likes the stick figures I come up with in my illustrations.  I mean, chriminy Christmas, what more can I do? 

Megan is just as bad.  If she calls me when I am out walking the dogs and I tell her I have to call her back, she always asks, “Who is more important? Your dogs or your daughter?”  I guess a couple of times I took too long to answer the question and that landed me in hot water.  Once, I said, “I plead the Fifth,” and she said back that sometimes she thinks I drink a Fifth because a person in their right mind would know the right answer to that question.  When I said I had to go because Fudge and Vern wanted me off the phone, because they like when both my hands are free so I can point out interesting stuff to them on our walks, she started reminiscing about the time I escorted her on her class trip to Annapolis.  Apparently, we were supposed to visit ten interesting landmarks during the day, but I determined all that “learning” stuff sounded pretty boring and we would visit one in case we were quizzed later and then go shopping.   I can’t be sure, because I didn’t take any pictures, but I just bet I pointed out great stuff to her all day, too.

Look over there, Megan. I see two boats.

The funny thing is I can sort of sympathize with my girls, because at times I am sure John prefers Fudge and Vern to me.  He won’t come right out and admit it, because I can hold a grudge longer than those two and be far more vocal, but I have seen the signs. He calls Fudge and Vern right up on his recliner with him to snuggle and the few times I have said, “move over, I’m climbing in that chair with you,” he starts protecting his body parts and grunts and groans and once his face turned really red and it seemed like he was gasping for air.  I have seen the movie Titanic and I have visions of how that would play out in real life if our Pontoon capsized and John had to make some hard choices.  In the movie, it was women and children saved first, but I fear it would be Fudge and Vern first and he would send me into the water with an emergency whistle and the anchor and the parting words to “hold on tightly and keep blowing until help arrives.”  He will let Fudge and Vern up on the bed with us and sleep with his feet hanging off the bed so they have more room, but if I put my cold hands or feet on him in bed he screams like a little girl and begs me to move over. 

By the time we got Fudge and Vern, I was older and wiser, but when I tell this to my kids they always laugh at the wiser part. In fact, when I told one of them that with age came wisdom, someone said I must be a lot younger than I look. Is it any wonder with all these one-line zingers flying around that I sometimes prefer the company of two dogs who think I am pretty great?  Just don’t tell my kids I said that, or I will never hear the end of it.  

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Leslie, LOL...I just watched The Middle last night and the father recited the Cat's in the Cradle song to his son. I thought of Judy and you and laughed.

Jane, Somehow, I still have time to meddle :) LOL

Gail, I could say Fudge and Vern are well behaved, too, but no one would believe me :) LOL I believe you about Bailey :)

Lori, John reads them. You should see my Christmas letter. He must have a lot of self confidence, because he just laughs. I like that about him....a lot :) Thank you!

DJ, LOL...reminds me of that song A Boy Named Sue :) Poor Sally (and I mean your son).....LOL!

F, Matthew should take that as a very big compliment :) LOL

Camilla, Thank you! Who knows how my brain works :)

Donna, You are the only one, other than our neighbor, who mentioned the bandana mix-up. LOL

Thanks, Robin!

[Robin and Libby Louise]

LOL

[Donna K & Quincy]

Thank you for the laughs! BTW you and John have your bandanas mixed up. :>)

[Camilla and Darwin]

Ha ha ha, how do you always come up with the most hilarious things to say? This is one of my favorites that you've written!

[F, Calla & Luca]

For some reason I call Luca and Matthew by each other's names, I never do this with my other son. Matthew is not well pleased, although I can't imagine why he objects : )

[DJ & Chance]

Another great blog.  I once had a poodle named Sally, and at times I would mistakenly call my son Sally.  LOL, he still remembers!

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

LOL! again, and as always, thanks for the laughs! 

Just curious-do you let John read these? or is he oblivious as to what we know about him and his sleeping, resting and other habits?  

[Gail and Bailey]

Loved the blog, Laurie!  Our daughter is an only child and always had dogs as "siblings".  Interestingly,  she now has an only child who has grown up with dogs as "siblings" as well.  The only issue in our families now is.....apparently we spoil our dog.  Whereas...the truth is.... our dog is well trained, and their dogs are not!!  

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!!  :) 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I really do regret that I didn't taken more pictures when the kids were little....somehow life got in the way.  I know that our kids feel the same way, especially Tim who hates sharing our attention.  I say "too bad".....if I didn't that the dogs I'd have so much free time to totally "meddle" in your life.  That usually quiets them right down.

[Leslie and Halas]

I don't see the problem. I like my dog more than I like most people (except for DKers, of course), so why not like him more than I like family members, too.
And in regards to your daughters being mad at you for spending more time with Fudge and Vern, you know you're not in any real trouble until they start singing Cat's in the Cradle to you.