"Let's take back the peace we're owed" - Farhad Manjoo

This guy expressed a sentiment in this article that I don't really share (as far as dogs are concerned), but unlike him (at the end of his article) I do think his rant applies to children. 

I'm sure he got lots of comment about it. Who in this world would say something negative about dogs (or pets in general) and not be criticize?  I will say this, this guy has gutts.

While I was reading his piece, I couldn't help to think he had a valid point, and this despite being an animal lover.  We, as a society, have given animals way too much room and are treating them as we would humans.  It's as if we're compensating for something.  We, Canadian (at least in Montreal), are not too crazy yet with our pets.  I do see some people with their pooch in the car, some in bags/purses or once in a while I'll see someone with a pooch at the grocery store, I'm fine with it as long as the pooch is on a leach.  Wish I could say the same about kids.  (I know, I'm cruising for a bruising here).

In his article he mentioned something about people bringing their pet to work.  In all my years in different offices, I will say that I haven't seen any pet brought to the office.  But, I've seen my share of little runts running around, because the sitter was sick, or the kid was sick and the parent had to work, or because the daycare was closed, or the kid had no school.  Not all kids will, after sniffing you (like a dog would) lay down and nap.  A few years back, when on a contract to replace a receptionist, the CEO who had recently given birth brought her baby to work, because she had to attend a closed-door meeting.  She left the sleeping baby in her office and went to the conference room.  The reception area was right next to her office.  At some point the baby woke up and started crying (naturally!).  The phone at that office was always busy.  While the baby was wailing, and I was trying to understand the caller I had on the line, who was wondering what was going on, the mother was not "hearing" her baby's cries.  After my call, I went to knock on the conference room door and asked her to please attend to her crying baby.  She didn't like that.

After she was done feeding the baby she called me into her office.  She wasn't happy with me interrupting her meeting.  She made a point to tell me that she had heard the baby, and would have come (eventually).  I told her that  if I'd wished to hear babies' crying I would have look for a job in a daycare. I've never heard anything back after that, and worked there for quite a few years. Whenever she brought one of her kids in, it was always for a short visit. 

I guess that we haven't reached the same level of animal love as our American neighbors.  I will say this, in both cases (pets and kids) it is not the little ones who are to be blamed but the humans who are not controlling them.  When I see a kids running around tables at a restaurant I feel like smacking the parent.  The kid only does what he's being allowed to do and then some.  How come we've never done that when we were kids?  Were we controlled that much or were we simply educated?  Hmmm...  If you ever watched an episode of Cesar's Dog Whisperer more often than not, he has to train the human more than the pooch!  Funny how that is.

I, too, believe it is time for all to claim back "peace and quiet".  We all deserve that much.