Today I visited the State Fair twice! That's a lot of corn dogs if you know what I mean ... In watching some of the competitions today, I could not help but feel bad for some of the animals. This coming from a city girl that knows NOTHING about farming or raising farm animals. I'm sure they were all properly loved and taken care of, but the simple tug on a horse that didn't want to go that way or a calf that wasn't interested in having his picture taken, or that brown bear that I KNOW didn't want to live in that trailer and travel the fair circuit made something inside of me squirm. That got me to thinking about my own animal handling skills and knowledge (which more than a few around me say is ridiculous - and not in a good way).

Isabelle ... clearly, she knows how to work it

Isabelle, my 9 year old Yorkshire Terrier is Queen. She knows it, I know it, the rest of the family has not quite digested it. So then I go from fair animals --> my treatment of animals (and admittedly Isabelle is SPOILED which can be beyond annoying to say the least these days, however, she did come by it honestly) to --> my treatment of Ivan ... OH GOODNESS ... is he doomed to be spoiled rotten?!

I'm of the belief "he's only 1 year old for 365 days," kids should get to be kids, and so on ... Life is too hard, and too fast, too soon. So, between hugs, I am going to do my best to try to let him feel some pain and experience some contrast so he's able to be a functioning adult. But until then, until the adult part (which I have 17 years to prepare for), I am going to love him and hug him and as some would say, SPOIL HIM! (Guess this is my first formal apology to his future wife.)

I've recently added this book to my reading list - To Safe for Their Own Good by Michael Ungar - I'm looking forward to learning what he has to say ...

To be alive, we do need to experience risk, loss, and contrast in order to expand ... I know this, OH MY do I know this, and how painful that sounds to watch!!! ... Holy Motherhood ;)