It is no news that Indian parents are not super enthusiastic at the topic of getting a pet home. They will try to give you hundreds of excuses to prove what a bad idea it is. We spoke to our friends who went through a similar challenge in convincing their parents while getting a pet home. Below are the top responses we got.
1. “Taking care of you is an impossible task in itself”
‘Tumhe paalte paalte baal safed ho gaye hain’ was the most common theme we heard. Parents put their foot down and narrate a big list of how looking after kids has taken a toll on them. In every way possible - physically, financially, mentally, emotionally. Getting a pet home is therefore, a complete no-no. Seems like we, kids, have exhausted our parents to an unimaginable degree. And left them incapacitated to take care of anyone else on this planet.
2. “Chase your silly bucket list ideas with your spouse”
‘Shaadi ke baad karna yeh sab’ was rated second most common reply to the request of bringing a pet home. Be it belly piercing or body tattoo or furry baby, all are conveniently bucketed as activities reserved for post marriage era. Why? Because parents will be no longer held ‘responsible’ for the consequences of these free acts of will. To date, I scratch my head to understand this rationale. In our society, parents are an integral part of our lives before/after/no/nth time marriage scenarios. How they render themselves out of this ‘responsibility aura’ the moment you want to have a pet at home, is beyond me!
And while we are talking about bucket list ideas, don’t forget to pen yours in our cool diaries collection.
3. “Now is the time for you to look after us and not add more to our plate”
The other popular reaction to getting a pet is ‘Humari umar ab yeh sab karne ki reh gyi hai?”. Usually posing as young and trendy in selfies, parents suddenly take U-turn and bring in age factor in pets discussion. They claim that they are growing old, and it is time for kids to step up to responsibilities, not add to them. My counter-argument is that the pet will help bring enormous cheerfulness and playfulness in their ‘ageing phase’. The health and mood-boosting benefits of having pets at home cannot be denied.
Our wall hanging is a great reminder of walks with fur-babies.
4. “Our building/society is not pet friendly”
This is where the “having a pet at home” conversation takes a much wider stance than just a family. Now, it incorporates the whole building/society angle and the famous ‘Sharma ji kya kahenge’. ‘Mohalle mein yeh sab allowed nhi hai’. Parents know there is no comeback to this argument. Other fellow building mates are infamous for objecting to litter, animal noises, pets playing in gardens etc. I object, my honour! I see more people going ‘Awww!’ to the sight of pet babies. Infact, many volunteer to baby sit them too. What era are the parents living in, huh? Even Maneka Gandhi has elaborated on society rules regarding pets.
Tell us in comments how your parents reacted when you brought up the conversation of adding pets to family 😊