The Great Mutiny

January 12, 2015:

  We have been back into the routine for one week now and none of the kids have been beaten, or even yelled at.  It is always hard to get used to waking up early again.  We had a great Christmas break but we sure get a lot more done when we are on a schedule.

  AS we did not have any eventful things happen last week I thought that I would write about the Smith family Mutiny that happened in June of 2013.  In terms of command structure, a mutiny occurs when subordinates overthrow their commanding officer.  This is exactly what happened in the summer of 2013.

  I have been a kind a gracious father.  I have provided: food, shelter, love, and even entertainment for my family.  I have wasted a small fortune on Barbie dolls, accessories, and cloths, not to mention many many poorly made animated DVD’s.  Despite this fact the family felt that they had the right, no, the need for a puppy. 

  I for one have nothing against dogs per say.  I have always thought they were great for other people, and, in a pinch, would be great for making stew or some kind of tamale.  I did not however want a dog of my own.  I have cleaned up poop and provided for non-speaking, drooling, creatures that spend their days on all fours for years.  For basically 7 years straight we changed diapers and cleaned the carpet.  My kids had just started getting to the point where they bathed and fed themselves.  That all changed when Anna posted the following picture and caption on Facebook:

Master Manipulator. Milo wants a big pet for his birthday. No more potato bugs and worms for pets. He wants a dog!
I wonder how long his dad will be able to resist this face!

Well, that started a Facebook campaign that was geared at making me change my long lasting rule that we would never get a dog.  I was determined to hold to my standards and not give in.  I had taken care of a dog when I was a kid, and while I loved him, I did not want the responsibility of taking care of a Dog as a parent.

  Of course the other kids really wanted a dog as well and soon I was being told all of the things that they would do to get a dog.  They also made a lot of promises about all of the work they would put into caring for the puppy and making sure that we was happy and that I did not have to do any of the work.

  A few weeks past, I even started getting pretty excited about it and as you can see from the phot below, we did in fact end up with a new puppy:

  This is Cosmo on the day we brought him home.  His Mom is half Shi-Tzu half Yorkie, and his dad is a schnauzer.   I was opposed at the beginning, but in the end I think that I love him more than anyone.  He is 18 months old now and except for the fact that she still digs through the trash on occasion, he is a pretty well trained Dog. 

  I am not opposed to eating him if things get rough, but I do love him and all in all I think that he has been good for the kids.  But if anyone ever refers to him as “My baby” or calls me his “Daddy” I am quick to correct them.