Dogs, Cats and Teenagers

I read somewhere that when your kids are young, they are like dogs.  Always wanting your attention, grateful for everything you give them, ready to go anywhere and do anything with you.  Then when they become teenagers they become cats.  You make suggestions and they just stare at you.  When you want them to go somewhere with you, they can't be found.  They want nothing to do with you unless they need petting (money).

Our oldest son, Adam, has always been so much smarter than his parents.  And so, when he lost his sense of humor around the age of 13 he just became a know-it-all.  He got it back at about 19 and now he is delightful!  He is still smarter than his parents, but he doesn't hold it against us.  Eric is now, and has always been, a breed apart.  Always a dog, never a cat.  But a big, hard to handle dog that gets into the trash and brings nasty things in from the yard.  THAT kind of dog.  Always wanting to do what would get praise from us, but knocking a lamp off the table with his big wagging tail.  Loveable, and a little dangerous.

Now, when it comes to our daughter Rachel we passed 14, 15, 16 and 17 years of age without her changing into a cat.  I was beginning to think  MY daughter would never go through the cat stage!  I have heard from many mothers of daughters that I was fooling myself.  And I was.  My 18 year old baby girl is now a cat.  She lives at home, but I go days without seeing her.  In fact, there are very few Rachel sightings these days.  Her room is right off the kitchen, so she makes late night forays for food.  In fact, we know she is alive because the food keeps disappearing!  Occasionally, we find a shopping list has been slipped under our door in the middle of the night.  She came out and purred when she needed a new computer and then was gone again.

I know from experience that my daughter will become a dog again someday.  I hope so, I miss her.