We’re all guilty of armchair quarterbacking. We see someone doing something that may not be a good idea and we watch while shaking our heads.
We do it with family, friends, and even strangers. Nothing good has ever come out of, “Here, hold my beer and watch this.”
How we live our lives works for us for the most part. We’ve developed systems and habits that make our days flow.
But…there’s always a but.
A family I know with two young children are about to make, in my opinion, a mistake of monumental proportions.
For a little background they are financially successful. Successful enough to afford a gardener, pool boy, nanny / housekeeper. The kids are in several activities, have many friends and weekly playdates, get together with the wife’s family every Friday night for dinner, and usually have no less than two or three kids birthday parties every weekend.
To say they have a hectic schedule is putting it mildly.
Now, it’s a good thing they have all the hired help they do because with a schedule like theirs, how would the grass get mowed, the laundry done, the pool get cleaned, the house cleaned, etc. You’re all aware of what it takes to keep up a house. And their house is a very large sprawling ranch.
Because the kids activities are after school, early evenings, and / or on weekends, they generally don’t get to eat dinner until about 7pm.
Because the kids go to school, bedtime is between 8:30 and 9pm.
Are you exhausted from this schedule? You probably live it but don’t have the hired help they do.
Now for added excitement, exhaustion, or entertainment, depending on how you look at it….
Drum roll please!
They are adding a puppy into the mix.
If you’ve ever had a puppy, you know it’s a lot of work, chaos, mess, frustration, etc. They are cute and once they get past the puppy stage you tend to forget the headaches you had early on.
It’s not my business. It’s not my problem. However, when I found out about this puppy yesterday, I actually cried…for the puppy. That lasted about two minutes and then I broke into hysterical laughter that lasted about fifteen minutes.
All I pictured was the added chaos, stress, and the kids saying they are not going to pick up poop in the yard when asked to. Or walk the puppy when asked to. Or give up screen time to play with the puppy when asked to. Or to feed and water the puppy when asked to. The list is endless.
So from my armchair perspective, the decision to get a puppy at this time is a mistake of monumental proportions.
However, they can always hire someone to take care of this puppy!
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