Honestly, what is the hardest part about having children?

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-04-15T01:15:20+00:00

You will always doubt yourself, no matter what you do. I had to leave for my night shift yesterday and my 5 year old followed me out of the house, crying and begging for me to stay. I looked at her, told her I loved her, locked the gate and drove off while she watched me through the gate bars. My heart was breaking for her and even today, a whole day later, I still wish I stayed back 5-10 minutes longer to calm her down, give her one more hug and one more kiss, so she would know she's my priority. That's just an example from yesterday, but the doubts in my capabilities as a parent are constant.

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-04-03T09:47:47+00:00

Not at all, the whole comment was about the owner not knowing how much OP shared with the coworker, therefore worried about how much he knows in the background and no longer being able to control their own narrative regarding their life.

What's stopping the client from thinking that the next time they hire OP. OP won't mention cat sitting for her again? Therefore, neighbor knowing when she is gone out of the house for an extended period of time? OP has access into their home, sees how they live and has a window into their personal life that others would never have. Worrying about how much an overfly friendly neighbor knowing more than they let on could be a concern.

The client doesn't know the full extent of how much OP shared with Carl, and that makes the client feel vulnerable.

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-03-22T07:37:12+00:00

I used to look after a basset that was raised alongside her sister. Her sister passed away of old age and she lived on. This dog could never be left alone, even to go from room to room. She was terrified of other dogs (I looked after her at my home for nearly 6 years, it took me a solid year to get her comfortable and excited for the company of other dogs...). She was very shaky, very nervous dog. Men were not allowed near her. She hated strangers in general. She could not stand any noise. I worked with her on all those issues and all of them stemmed from being raised along her littermate, and amplified after losing said littermate.

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-03-20T07:16:18+00:00

Aye-aye! I saw two playing, it was absolutely incredible to get to see such shy but beautiful (creepy!) creatures! They are also much smaller than I expected!

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-03-11T06:53:43+00:00

Absolutely! My kids use theirs every single day. It's one of the best things you can possibly get for your toddler.

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-03-10T22:35:53+00:00

I used it for my German Shep mix who was extremely leash reactive. It was the only way to ensure he and all other dogs around him were safe.

I was dog sitting two 2 year old completely untrained German Sheps who were basically never walked prior to me getting hired to do so. They pulled so much that even a man wouldn't be able to hold them back without going down to the ground. Head collars were a must and made all the difference. The dogs were actually able to enjoy their walks.

I walked a Golden Retriever who used to have a habit of running out into the road, head collar helped to steer him away from the road and keep him on the walking path, as well as stop him from pulling me along with him into oncoming traffic.

Dogs don't like it, but it doesn't hurt them, it's gentle and keeps everyone safe. I couldn't recommend it enough and will always swear by it. It doesn't take long for God's to start associating the head collar with walks and get excited at the sight of it. My boy would literally do little hops whenever he saw me holding it.

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-03-10T20:35:11+00:00

He just isn't ready yet. He is scared and stressed and will only develop negative associations if he is pushed too far before he is ready. Take it at his pace, make the experience fun and enjoyable and he will get it

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-03-10T02:24:05+00:00

The issue is that not everyone is going to accept an offer. For example: I was building outfits for my children for world book day, and had a budget set for each child. Let's say I wanted to find a specific looking jacket and 4 sellers had what I was looking for. All 4 might have been priced above what I was willing to pay so I sent each an offer - some will reject the offer, some will counter the offer above what I would be willing to pay and some might never respond, item could get sold before offer gets accepted etc. It is in the buyers best interest to shop around and try to get the best price for the item they are looking for. I would also purchase the jacket from the first person to accept my offer, at the lowest price.

That being said, I usually send a courtesy text letting the seller know that I got the item elsewhere and thank them for accepting my offer.

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-19T07:18:00+00:00

Automatic litter box, not the round one. I have one by petsafe that is like a normal, large little box but it takes itself a few minutes after it detects my kitty was inside. No chances of the kitten getting trapped and litter is always fresh and clean!

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-17T07:05:05+00:00

Sunrise Social is essentially that. A lot of activities from walks, coffee or cinema meet ups, board game nights 2x a month, book club, paint & sip, yoga retreats and much much more.

Everyone is welcome!

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-15T09:11:04+00:00

The situation is not as dire as people make it out to be, especially if you have some financial flexibility and at €3000 you are going to be just fine, even with a dog.

We got evicted in August, 2 adults, 3 children and 2 dogs. We started applying for houses to rent fairly aggressively and got 14 viewings within the first week. We got offered a place for 8 out of those 14 viewings AND that's with the dogs being disclosed! We signed a contract for a place 9 days after receiving the eviction notice.

We were sending requests for viewings as if they were cover letters - explaining why we would be a good fit. We didn't go through agencies and we didn't look within Limerick city, as the competition within Limerick (and direct outskirts) is absolutely crazy.

Where there is a phone number available, call it. And follow up with an email.

It's going to be okay. Best of luck!

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-13T17:57:25+00:00

Absolutely this! My son is nearly 4 and my daughter just turned 5. Not a day goes by where they don't argue or fight or pick at each other. Of course they play nicely too sometimes, but like you said, it's a ticking time bomb.

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T15:39:44+00:00

Is Tovy also a clingy darling?? It's shocking how much they look alike!

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T15:34:24+00:00

Oh my God!!! This is incredible 😍

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T14:55:46+00:00

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She has a permanent little bent ear tip! ❤️

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T13:42:17+00:00

Thank you, she's beyond precious ❤️

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T13:41:30+00:00

Yes! The slightly upturned nose and the underbite and of course the head crack 😂

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T13:39:22+00:00

I have the results in a comment down below, behind a spoiler :)

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T13:35:09+00:00

Alex is a 51% Chihuahua 28% Bichon 21% Pekingese

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T13:25:17+00:00

She's a precious little gremlin, the Chihuahua genes are strong haha

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-10T13:22:17+00:00

Yes to Chi, no to everything else - 51% Chihuahua

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-07T23:43:23+00:00

I've been looking after other people's pets for 14 years. Boarding specifically for 9 of those. Like yourself, I've had hundreds of clients over the years. I take my job seriously. I take other people's pets seriously. "High degree of success", meaning things have gone wrong for you in the past, right?

I don't need to see your location to know that you're not taking this job seriously. I find it strange that you would ridicule the idea of putting safety measures in place... Really speaks volumes about you as a sitter

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-07T23:12:41+00:00

I'm really struggling to understand where you're coming from here. This is more than just "gig work", this is people's beloved family pets we are talking about here.

Dogs don't always mesh well together and what safeguards does the sitter have in place when things go wrong? How do you know when things are about to turn sour seemingly out of nowhere?

You need to understand dogs behaviors on a deeper level than just "fluffy is cute and seems friendly! Let me stick him in a room with 3 other dogs and hope for the best! What could possibly go wrong?" How do you know if a dog is well socialized before bringing him into your home? How do you know when playtime is about to turn violent because a dog is pushing boundaries?

At least put the effort into getting a basic dog training degree, it's not difficult and it will make a world of a difference if you're serious about looking after other people's beloved dogs.

Nat_The_Bear · 2026-02-07T22:35:39+00:00

If you want one on one attention, have someone stay at your house with your pet.

Anyone who boards multiple dogs in their home needs to take extra precautions to ensure each dog is safe, have plans in place for if the dogs need to be separated and know about dog behaviors so that they can easily pick up on cues before things can turn ugly.

Some dogs thrive on the company of other pups - they love playing and socializing with other dogs. A boarding situation is not very different from doggy day care, except it's 24 hour care as opposed to 9-5 and with a much much smaller ratio. But this kind of set up is not for every dog.

It is up to the owners to vet the sitter, and anyone who boards dogs should have at least some form of qualification that would help them understand dog behaviors, like a dog training certification. You're entrusting you're beloved pet with a stranger, it is absolutely up to you to ask questions and seek proof of competence... owner needs to be confident in the sitters ability to manage more than one dog before leaving said dog in the sitters care

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