Do you wish pet mothers a happy mothers day?

[Kitty 34]

I love my kitties a ton but I don't think of parenting them as a mother does a child.

 

[wishesuponastar]

I only wish a happy Mothers Day to my own mother. I think it's weird when people start wishing happy mothers day to people who aren't their own mother.
I would certainly never wish a happy Mothers day to a "pet parent". It seems demeaning to me.

I wished my MIL, my xMIL and my dear friend a Happy Mother's Day and also to my friend who says she is a cat mom. Oh, and we were out shopping over Mother's Day weekend and the cashier wished me a happy mother's day so I wished her one too. I don't think it's weird to wish people Happy Mother's Day. It's just a way of wishing someone a happy day. However, I don't wish random people a Happy Mother's Day unless they wish me one first because how do I know if they are or were a Mom.

 

[MrsDuck]

I'm not a mom but I am a fur mom!

 

[ckay87]

I only wish a happy Mothers Day to my own mother. I think it's weird when people start wishing happy mothers day to people who aren't their own mother.

I've had strangers wish me a happy mothers day. Like store employees or whatever. And my boys are grown, so I'm alone. And I think, whoa, you are taking a HUGE risk there.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I have never wished anyone who has a pet but no children a Happy Mother's Day - but since we are doing that now, I guess I should go back and wish my 11 year old DD a Happy Mother's Day from her fish, the frog she caught outside last week, the dead bee she found in her closet, and her American Girl Dolls. Who cares that they have been sitting on her dresser for two years now untouched - she should still be considered their "mother" and for that matter, she should get her long-overdue ME-Ternity leave too. It took a lot to become a mother to all of those things! (Uhhh, I mean...children)

I don't want anyone to feel left out.

 

[Allons-y!]

No, not in the way you put it. As a joke, sure, but never seriously. Being a mother and caring for a pet are not the same. And before you ask, OP, I have two children and one dog. The love I have for my dog absolutely and completely pales in comparison to the love I have for my children.

 

[aristocatz]

It makes you a step parent. Sorry bit you skipped a)the horrors of pregnancy and birth (I recognise that people who go through adoption go through a different but very emotional path that leads to creating a family) b) all the middle of the night feeds, the diapers, the potty training, the nightmares, the starting of school, learning to read, learning to ride a bike etc.
Step parents are very important to a childs life, and I am sure you love her like your own and you have provided her with many wonderful memories etc but its not the same thing as being her mother.

I have to respectfully disagree with you. I am a biological mom of two children. I have a good friend who adopted a child at age 5 & the tough times & hard work they went through together when she fostered her, the bond they have created, I could never relate to, but it certainly does not make her any less of a mother just because she missed some of those "Day 1" moments. Her daughter is now 14 & I consider her one of the best moms I've ever known. I go to her for parenting advice, & my heart just melts when I see them together. She is just as deserving of the title "mom" as I am. I have another friend who helped raise her stepson from when he was around 6 years old. It was a joint custody relationship, so the little boy did not live with my friend full time. But every Mother's Day, this little boy made a card for his bio mom & his step mom. My friend is now divorced, step son is in his early 20's & he still acknowledges her on Mother's Day, still loves her just the same, still tells her he sees himself as having two moms. Again, I could never relate to their relationship, but that does not mean she is any less of a mom than I am.

These two friends of mine may have skipped through labor, middle of the night feeds, & other generic milestones, but they have certainly gone through many milestones with their children & have established bonds, just as I have, that I could never relate to.

I don't know-natural birth vs C-section, natural conception vs. in-vitro, adopted vs. step vs. biological=we may have gone through different roads to get there, different hardships & different bonds, but we are all moms.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Absolutely not. February is Responsible Pet Owner's Month. And the likelihood of finding some day that is more appropriate than Mother's day for humans is pretty good. https://www.avma.org/events/pethealth/pages/default.aspx
Mother's day is for females who nurture children via birth, adoption, or stand-in. It was not a day created for Pet owners.

That said, it does cover step-moms when appropriate.

If you only have a poodle, you are not a mother.

Flame-proof suit on.


ETA: have been a pet owner most of my life. Never considered that I was their mother.

 

[sailorstitch]

Well, this year when I was picking out my mom's card I found a Toy Story card that I really liked. The problem was that it was a "from all of us" card and I'm an only child. I bought the card and signed it with my name and the names of our two cats! Problem solved.

sailorstitch

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

The only person I wished a happy mother's day is my own mom. If I were married, I'd say it to my MIL as well. But friends and co-workers? Nope. Their kids and/or spouses can do that. For all I know, they're awful parents and don't deserve it anyway.

I couldn't care less if pet owners consider themselves "parents" or not.

 

[Aliceacc]

Somehow I can't get the quotes to work this morning.

Yesterday morning, on page 1, I posted this:

Nope, sorry.

I'm mom to my 3 kids-- and, no, I didn't give birth to my son.

But they're my kids. My dog is my pet. There's a world of difference in my book.

And I mean this with the utmost respect, but somehow it saddens me to think that your stepchild and your pet seem to be on the same level somehow.

I have no step kids. But I would love to see the prefix "step" permanently removed from society's vocabulary.

As I was proctoring exams yesterday at work, I was thinking about this thread. And I realized that I had been unkind, and wanted to apologize. But I simply couldn't get back to the computer to do so yesterday.

Here's what I wish I had posted:

At the end of the day, if wishing your pet a Happy Mother's Day makes you happy, then do it. Throw a party, take your pets out to dinner, dress them in tiaras and diamonds, do whatever brings you joy.

In my book, pet ownership is light years away from parenting. And perhaps for some, particularly for people who don't have kids, that difference is hard to see.

But you ARE a mom. It sounds as though you've raised-- or helped raise-- a woman from middle school to adulthood. It doesn't matter who gave birth to her, or how many other parents were involved in her life. You were one of the people who got her up for school, who encouraged her when she felt upset or ugly or alone in the world. You put up with her moods and applauded her triumphs. With or without the hated "Step" you were and are one of her parents.

So a Happy Belated Mother's Day to you.

 

[Shugardrawers]

Thank you I appreciate that. I didn't give birth to her and her mother did a wonderful job of raising her but I lent a major hand there and I'm very proud of the woman she's become. I don't like the word step but since she feels the need to use it to differentiate between us then I use it too. I prefer bonus mom.

I'm very well aware there is a HUGE difference between raising a child and raising a pet. My pets do not wear tiaras and dresses or pajamas though they are a bit spoiled but they are expected to behave as cats and dog and obey me as such. In their eyes I am their pack leader and I do my best to be a great one. In my eyes I am their mama which is the closest we humans have to a pack leader. I'm not offended by people who think I'm silly to get gifts from them chosen by my DH but we all have a different way at looking at these things.