A Case for Pets

Joshua opened the cereal drawer and mumbled, "Stupid dog!"
Apparently Mindy had run off. And Joshua was getting a couple mini-wheats to coax her back.

Mindy has run off before, and I was pretty sure I knew the reason.
So I asked, "Was she on her leash?"
Joshua just mumbled, and my suspicion was confirmed. He had let Mindy outside without chaining her up - hoping she would stay in the yard just because that's what she's supposed to do.
Ha! Didn't work.
Now Joshua had to round Mindy up and bring her back inside. The boy was not happy about the extra effort required as a result of not chaining up the dog. I imagine he was thinking something along the lines of, Why can't she just go do her thing and then come back? Why does she have to run off? She knows better!

At the very same time I was thinking, Why didn't you put her on the leash, Joshua? It gives her limits so she won't run off. She doesn't know any better.

And that's when it hit me. The life-lesson for my son which I was sure he would understand:
Just as Mindy needs limits like a leash to help her do the right thing, so teens need limits like curfews and phone calls to other parents and occasional answers like, "No. I'm sorry, but you can't go to [that event]," in order that they might do the right thing.
As one responsible for our dog's well-being (Even though he didn't use it...) Joshua understands the value of a dog leash. He understands that without limits, Mindy is likely to do things she ought not do. He gets it.
And if this interaction will help him understand why I place limits in his life, if it will bring a little more peace in our home, well I'd say I just discovered a great reason to have a pet!

Even though I am incredibly tired of dog hair all over the floor. *wink*