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Wole Akosile

The Cat Years

By Adair Lara


Just stumbled upon 'The Cat Years' by Adair Lara and couldn't help but chuckle at how accurately it captures the teenage phase. A hilarious yet spot-on comparison between raising children and owning pets. Trust me, give it a read and you'll find yourself nodding along in agreement.


I Just realized that while children are dogs-loyal and affectionate-teenagers are cats. It's so Easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt paint-ing. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.

 

Then, around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor.

Instead of dogging your footsteps, it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets hungry-then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you're serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.

 

You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won't go on family outings.

 

Since you're the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.

 

Only now you're dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go towards it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away.

 

Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you can learn to behave like a cat owner. Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and your affection too. Sit still, and it will come, seeking that warm, comforting lap it has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.

 

One day, your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, "You've been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you." Then you'll realize your cat is a dog again.

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1 Comment


Nice comparison, parents should always be there for their kids . Teach your child in the way he should go, when he grows, he will not depart from it. Let your child know his roots. Give them boundaries and love.

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