If You Cannot Beat the Dog, Become the Dog

The other day I shared a more serious story about Noah's frustration with expressing his feelings. Those moments happen behind the scenes and come with exhaustion, endless questions of Why?, and trying to understand emotions that even Noah cannot always explain.

Today, however, I have something much lighter.

When children are little, they imitate everything. Parents, siblings, television characters. As they grow older, the imitation changes. They might dress like a friend, copy a favorite athlete, or borrow a parent's expressions. It is usually a sign of admiration.

But what happens when your fifteen year old, fully committed to puberty, decides the one he wants to imitate is...the dog?

That is Noah.

Ozzy has become both Noah's competition and his inspiration. If Ozzy wants a snack, Noah wants a snack. If Ozzy wants attention, Noah wants even more attention. If Ozzy gets praised, Noah suddenly needs to remind everyone that he exists too.

The result is complete chaos, and we cannot help but laugh. His sisters usually make things even worse by encouraging him because, honestly, it is hilarious.

In this week's Reel, Noah and Ozzy battle over food and attention. At one point, Noah even throws a little shoulder into Ozzy to gain possession of the prize. I cannot say either one of them won, but I can say they were equally determined.

Life with Noah is rarely predictable. Sometimes it is exhausting. Sometimes it is emotional. And sometimes your teenage son decides that life would simply be better if he behaved like the family dog.

Those are the moments that remind us to laugh, because sometimes laughter is the best way to survive the chaos.

If Noah and Ozzy made you laugh today, please consider sharing this post with someone who could use a smile or simply needs to know they are not alone on this parenting journey.

Be sure to follow Life with Noah on Facebook for daily adventures, unexpected laughs, and plenty of Noah's mischief. You can also Join the Journey on our website to receive email updates whenever a new blog post is published, so you never miss the next chapter in Noah's story.

Thank you for laughing, sharing, and being part of our journey. We are so glad you are here.