Earlier today I walked through my house to discover that my 4-month old German Shepherd, Aubrey, had wreaked havoc on the premises.  I immediately flew off the handle and disciplined her as a good per owner would do.  Ashamed by what she had done, Aubrey retreated to her pillow in the corner.

I cleaned up the mess, scolded her some more and went on about my business.

A nap and few hours later, Aubrey had forgotten about her punishment and was running through the house as active as ever. She had no ill feelings toward me at all, but what she had done had not escaped my memory.

Meanwhile, my children decided to build and fort out of their bunk beds, utilizing the ladder as a slide from the top bunk. Poised and ready in full mother-mode I informed them of the dangers of their method of play and put them in ‘time out’. Naturally, I ruined their lives in the moment and raised my stress level to DEFCON 4.

But after the punishment was over and the tears were dry, I was back to being ‘Mother of Year”. Still, the thoughts of the terrible things that could have happened were racing through my mind.

Children and dogs never cease to amaze me with their willingness to forgive and forget and their ability to give pure, unconditional love. Though entirely different, the two beings express their feelings in a way no adult could. They love us when we least deserve it, no matter what the circumstances may be.

Sometimes I think we can learn more from children and dogs than we could ever teach.