Once upon a time, in the middle of winter, a beautiful baby girl was born. Her hair was fair as the fairest baby in all the country and she was the happiest little girl in the world! Her perfect heart shaped lips puckered gently as she slept and in her waking hours she laughed and smiled bringing smiles to all she met. As she grew and learnt mischievous ways, just like other children she needed to be disciplined. Her loving father would sit her on his knee and before he’d said a word, her perfect little chin would drop to her chest, her red heart lips would hide between her pearly white baby teeth and her big, beautiful big brown eyes would stay steadfastly on her father’s sad face, through a curtain of blonde gentle curls. Sad at his daughter’s mischievous, naughty ways, father struggled to control his urge to smile and put aside the discipline she needed. He bit his lip to stop the smile and often had to avoid her appealing eyes.
Many years later the more experienced father and his wife adopted a young dog from a rescue centre. It had been nearly five years since they’d left their own dogs behind in a different country and having a playful, obedient juvenile chow x staffie in the house gave them both many smiles, many happy hours, many frustrations, and many discipline opportunities.
Bella came into the lounge with her ears back, alert and playful, darting from one to the other. She nudged Mum and looked appealingly into her eyes. Mum knew that look! Yes, once again Bella had ‘played’ with her cosy warm bed, pulling out the foam pieces from the padded side. As Mum swept the foam pieces together, Dad called the mischievous pup to sit at his feet. After a few calls she slinked right up to him, her ears flattened out to the sides and obediently sat as close to him as she possibly could. She looked up with big, brown, guilty eyes waiting to hear the verdict. Mum stood with the broom and the evidence between them, but not a word was said. Bella looked from one to the other, shuffled a little uncomfortably, still waiting for sentence to be pronounced.
What Bella did not know was that Mum was not crying because Bella had once again treated her bed as a toy, but Mum had her hands over her face to hide the uncontrollable smile and was shaking with irrepressible laughter until the tears rolled down her cheeks! She looked at Dad and saw him trying to stifle his laughter and her tail began to wag! How can a parent administer discipline when faced with those pleading eyes?! How can they rebuke when the perpetrator says I'm sorry with the look only a dog can produce?!
As Dr James Dobson rightly says, Parenting isn’t for Cowards!
Go to bed naughty Bella! (Mumble: good dog!)!!
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