To The New Mom From The Old Dog

Dear Mommy,

Once upon a time, it was just me and you. Oh, and Daddy, too. He’s pretty great.

You took me everywhere, dressed me in sweaters and told me I was your little baby. We snuggled on the couch, watching the people box. Sometimes you had cold, sweet milk and you always let me lick the bowl. It was delicious!

One day, you went somewhere for a long time. Daddy came by to let me out and refill my food and water. I missed you! I was very sad until you came back…with this thing you held in your arms that sometimes cried a lot. I thought it was another dog (a weird-looking dog with no fur) but it turns it, it is a tiny human!

The tiny human is ok. I like her blankets, they are soft. I like the special cuddle time when she is drinking from your human pillows and I squeeze into the other side of the chair. That is so nice.

And that stuff that comes from your human pillows…oh it is delicious! Daddy calls it breastmilk, he is so funny! Sometimes, when the tiny human falls asleep, drops of it come out of her mouth. I try to lick it, but you say, “No, no!” and so I am stuck licking the side of the chair where it sometimes squirts.

To be honest, I liked the tiny human more before she started running all over the house.

She does things that would have landed me outside for a while. She puts my food into my water dish. This is not delicious. She tries to sit on me and pull my tail. You remind her to be gentle, but I do not think she knows what this word means. If you are wondering why I spend so much time on your bed now, it is because this is the one place she cannot climb up to put her fingers in my eyes.

Yes, the tiny human frightens me.

I think the tiny human frightens you, too. When she cries, you rush to make sure she is okay and you spend a lot of time with her in your arms. You are very kind to the tiny human even though she sometimes makes you cry.

I want you to know that it’s okay, I understand that you can’t spend all of your time with me cuddled up on the couch watching the people box like we used to do. But I’m an old dog and I have a feeling that the tiny human won’t stay tiny forever.

Someday you and I will sit on the couch, eating cold, sweet milk with me again. And it’s okay if the tiny human wants some cold, sweet milk. I don’t mind sharing.

Just don’t forget that I was your first baby, okay?

Love,

The Old Dog


Amanda Farrell Briggs is a lawyer turned (soccer) mom to three wild and wonderful girls ages 8, 6 and 1. She can be found chasing her toddler through the muddy soccer field in 3-inch high heels or updating her blog, Worst Soccer Mom Ever. She has been previously published in Scary Mommy, Mamalode, and Blunt Moms. She and her very understanding husband live in their hometown of Fayetteville, NC.