All I Really Need to Know About Mothering I Learned From Our Shelties

• Wake everybody up with wet, sloppy kisses.

• Circle the house periodically to make sure your loved ones are all safe and accounted for.

• Go nuts if someone escapes the house without telling you.

• Hoard treats.

• Be gentle.

• Take naps.

• Listen intently (even if you don’t understand a word they’re saying).

• Make sure your bark (an upbeat attention-getter) is worse than your bite (gentle, playful).

• Herd the family into the kitchen for mealtimes and activities.

• Constantly look back over your shoulder to be sure they’re still following you.

• Tolerate LOTS of chaos and silliness.

• Good-naturedly allow everyone in the family to maul you to death

• When somebody wants to be with you, make them the center of your universe.

• Sit vigilantly and show concern when somebody’s sick.

• Run to the door with joy whenever somebody comes home.

• Alert everyone if there’s an unfamiliar intruder.

• Take advantage of every opportunity to snuggle.

• Play with the kids, indoors and out.

• Put up with lots of teasing and hyperactivity.

• Maintain a ready sense of adventure at all times.

• Give loved ones a luxuriant bedtime pedicure. :)

Most important of all:

If people forget about you, ignore you, tease you, leave you out, and maybe even step on your toes...

Love them anyway.