Difference Between Kids, Pets Obvious

The cold war between childless adults and people who have kids appears to be escalating.

At least that’s what the news media would have us believe. Everywhere you look, there’s a new story about how “child-free” men and women are at odds with co-workers who are parents. The issues range from preferential treatment at the office to tax policy.

Whether this bad blood is real or just the latest hype is hard to say. But one thing is certain.

When people start bashing married adults who don’t have children, it’s not long before the subject of pets comes up.

Time and again, childless adults who are pet owners get accused of regarding their animals as substitutes for kids.

If one of these folks is seen expressing perfectly normal concern for his or her dogs or cats, some slathered-in-self-regard member of the Minivan Nation is almost sure to hiss a tsk tsk.

You know. “She treats that thing like it’s her baby.”

In truth, most childless adults know the difference.

But people who have had zero training in psychoanalysis feel free to interpret loving a pet as a telltale sign of emotional disorder.

It’s not fair. Stupid stereotypes seldom are.

OK, let’s face facts. There are people who seem to have odd, obsessive relationships with their pets. But in most cases, they were screwed up long before the collie or tabby arrived on the scene.

Besides, not all of the men and women in this category are childless.

Here’s the situation. Americans tend to view as somehow suspect people who have made lifestyle choices different from their own. And the mere existence of married adults who have not produced offspring seems to threaten some parents.

Of course, this can be a two-way street. For instance, the kid haters who come up with terms such as “crib lizards” aren’t exactly exuding a tolerant “live and let live” vibe.

This back-and-forth jabbing won’t stop anytime soon. But it would be nice if being a conscientious pet owner were no longer grounds for accusations of misplaced priorities.

The world already has more than enough parents who have amply demonstrated that they are not up to the job.

Loving a beagle or a moody mouser does society no harm.

* Enter Furry Talk’s Our Pets Are The Best Contest. Just complete the following sentence: “Inland Northwest pets are the best in the world because …”

Then get it to us by Aug. 10.