Do you think I have a problem?
Dear Frankie,
Last week my Nana dropped in unannounced to see the new baby. James is four months old and has been a handful for my mom.
Nana is a neat freak and went bonkers when she saw our messy house. To make matters worse, I had ripped the garbage bag into shreds to get to last night’s leftovers and had tossed garbage and take-out boxes all over the floor. It’s not often I have access to the garbage bag, but my mom forgot to take it out and left it by the door that morning.
Nana was so angry she yelled at my mom, “If you can’t train a dog, how do you think you can teach a child to behave?”
I felt terrible for my bad behavior and for getting my mom into trouble.
What concerns me is that I knew what I did was wrong, but I did it anyway. Only someone nuts would do something like that.
Do you think I have a problem?
Wyatt
Dear Wyatt,
What I think is you were naughty and inconsiderate. But let’s face it, you’re a dog — accessible leftovers are hard to resist. Sometimes temptation wins over reason.
We have all been there, even Nana, trust me.
However, I am impressed that you took full responsibility for your behavior. You didn’t blame anyone or make excuses.
You didn’t say, “My mom forgot to give me a treat, and I was hungry, no one has paid attention to me since James arrived, it was my mom’s fault for leaving the bag on the floor,” etc.
It appears you have learned your lesson and will think twice before misbehaving in the future. Now it’s time to move on and focus on making life easier for your mom.
Best, Frankie
© 2022 Geneva Woodruff
Comments and letters can be sent to Frankie at dearfrankiecolumn@gmail.com. The Fairhaven Neighborhood News publishes the Dear Frankie column. To receive a free online subscription, readers can email neighbnews@comcast.net, request their name be added to the email list or visit www.neighbnews.com to read the paper online or to download the latest issue.
•••
Click here to download the entire 6/23/22 issue: 06-23-22 RoadRace
Support local journalism, donate to the Neighb News with PayPal
