On Little Boys and Puppydog Tails.

Went out to a friend's housewarming party this afternoon, which was also her son's 2nd birthday. Tristin had so much fun, but it was a reminder that most of our playdates have been with a) babies too much younger than him to be interesting or b) little girls. Not that there's anything wrong with having playdates with little girls, but today, Tristin got to go around the yard in a wagon full of other boys, chase a dog, crawl around in the grass/leaves/dirt, play on the slide (again with a bunch of other rough-and-tumble little boys), and just be 100% rambunctious little boy. It was pretty epic.

A little about the dog: if you know me in person, you know that I don't like dogs. I actually dislike dogs. In fact, it wouldn't be entirely unfair to say that I hate dogs. I think they're smelly, stupid, hairy, loud, obnoxious, and most of all, dangerous. Even dogs who aren't trained to be dangerous still are, because they can't retract their claws and they jump all over people or knock them down. I don't know a single dog that doesn't do this. Unfortunately, like most babies, my son loves dogs - and cats, and birds, and anything else he can chase/grab/growl at. So I grin, bear it, and poise always ready to kill any dog that actually hurts him. Some would say I should just never let him play with dogs, but the problem with that theory is that it can lead to phobias, and while I'd prefer if my son didn't like dogs I don't want him to develop a complex just because it would make my life easier. So I let him play with dogs. I also let him get dirty, fall down, and figure out for himself how to get where he wants to go. I'm that kind of mum.