My Rabbits are NOT my Surrogate Children !!

[tulsi]

I have rabbits because I love their rabbitness.

Dont think they are my babies (now that mine has grown up).

If they are my husbands then I have eight of them!!! One for each day of the week and one spare!!!

I have always loved animals and have always wanted children. I am very happy with having lots of live creatures in my life including my son

 

[Mackers]

I just find the entire concept of equating being a Mother to having Pets as totally bazaar !!

I guess people see it as a need to nurture and look after something, be that a child or a pet. But I completely agree with Steph - looking after my pets and seeing them happy and healthy makes me very happy. Being around (or even near :shock children makes me miserable. My pets are not substitute children - they're BETTER than children .

 

[Pets mum]

Never wanted children, always wanted pets. I don't mind being referred to as mum by the vets (look at my user name !) always found it rather sweet. To be honest, I think people see me as being a bit loopy anyway, having rabbits at "my age" I honestly don't care what people think or call me, seeing my pets well and happy, is all I need to make me happy too :lol:

 

[SJ_R]

I have never wanted children, and will never have children (despite the number of people that think a woman in her early twenties will change her mind any minute now). I do not have a mothering instinct in my body. I have caring and patience and love, but nothing purely 'maternal'. I may call my pets 'my babies', but more as an affectionate name, as in 'I have the emotions for you as most people have for babies'. I am aware that they are animals, and should be treated as such. It's actually mostly my own mother that calls me Amy's Mum, and that mildly irritates me, though I do sometimes call myself her Mama.

 

[Rupert & Tia]

My bunnies are my babies. I need to mother something

 

[William]

Animals are my passion and I love caring for them but I don't see them as babies/kids at all. More like needy companions lol.
My parents see them as babies though.

I don't think it's unusual for people to see their pets as babies though. Seems natural, like our brains just function that way, especially for people that are really maternal/paternal. It's why we find certain features in animals appealing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuteness

 

[Sky-O]

They are not my children-they are my friends. Better than any human friends too (although none of my human friends have bitten my ankles yet).

 

[Lea-Anne]

My son is 6 months old and me and my husband are still rehoming rabbits so go figure.

We are getting a hamster tomorrow too! Definitely not something for P.

 

[steph182]

I have never wanted children, and will never have children (despite the number of people that think a woman in her early twenties will change her mind any minute now). I do not have a mothering instinct in my body. I have caring and patience and love, but nothing purely 'maternal'. I may call my pets 'my babies', but more as an affectionate name, as in 'I have the emotions for you as most people have for babies'. I am aware that they are animals, and should be treated as such. It's actually mostly my own mother that calls me Amy's Mum, and that mildly irritates me, though I do sometimes call myself her Mama.

I'm 24. I know your pain :lol: People have been slightly more accepting of it the closer my OH has got to 30 though, so that's something.

My mam calls the bunnies her Grandbunnies :lol:

 

[MimzMum]

It seems I will always be "mum" to anyone I care for...in a sense. (Except for OH...let's draw the line there please. :shock: )
Even some of my old school friends used to call me the "mother hen" of our group so I guess I exude that vibe. :?
I have both grown children and pets. It's obvious to anyone who knows me that my maternal instinct is strong (although I was certain in my youth that I would never marry/have children), but I think I've done a better job with my pets than my kids. As far as raising them is concerned I mean. There's no question I love them all to the length and breadth of my being. I don't think it diminishes the designation "mother" if you extend that to the four footed. I believe it is what we were meant to do as a species...care for one another as if we were all 'related.' That being said I have put different effort into my care of my kids as opposed to my pets and view them as they are...but my feelings for each run equally deep and that to me is mothering.

But I understand if others do not want that distinction applied to them. Different strokes.

 

[mini lop1]

mine are

Not that I consider them actual babies and I certainly don't treat them as such, I treat them as rabbits because that is what is best for them. But my 'need' or 'want' for pets is triggered by my need to mother things.

Having children will not stop me wanting pets, I love my animals for who and what they are but I know that the mothering instinct is what drives me to have them.

I do understand that not everyone feels the same way, I do not assume that everyone with pets is using them as a child replacement. That view is too simplistic and pretty insulting. Animals are brilliant companions and everyone has different emotions and will make different decisions, the reasoning behind my decisions will not be the same as other people!

I think statements like that one show a lack of empathy... or at least thought!

same with me. no children my rabbits are my children always will be, maybe I should of been a rabbit :lol:

 

[Sarah1991]

My mum told me not that long ago that one of her work friends had told her that...

"Your Sarah needs to have a baby" because she had seen all of my rabbits pictures I'd been sharing. I think its disgusting that someone would judge me for not having a child yet and loving my pets in the meanwhile. Nobody gets to dictate when I should have a baby....

 

[Rita]

mine are

Not that I consider them actual babies and I certainly don't treat them as such, I treat them as rabbits because that is what is best for them. But my 'need' or 'want' for pets is triggered by my need to mother things.

Having children will not stop me wanting pets, I love my animals for who and what they are but I know that the mothering instinct is what drives me to have them.

I do understand that not everyone feels the same way, I do not assume that everyone with pets is using them as a child replacement. That view is too simplistic and pretty insulting. Animals are brilliant companions and everyone has different emotions and will make different decisions, the reasoning behind my decisions will not be the same as other people!

I think statements like that one show a lack of empathy... or at least thought!

i totally agree, i am also a mother but it does not stop me wanting animals so i can take care of them. people ask why i want so many animals, there are so many unwanted and not loved animals in this world, if i can take a few in and care for them, it makes me feel good, i truly love all animals, that's why i don't eat them. they have soul's like you and me.

 

[parsnipbun]

I have absolutely no mothering instinct. None zero zilch. Not a maternal gene anywhere. I actually dislike children and find them very difficult to be around. But i love my rabbits.

 

[Britannia]

I have absolutely no mothering instinct. None zero zilch. Not a maternal gene anywhere. I actually dislike children and find them very difficult to be around. But i love my rabbits.

I like my nieces and nephews, I very occasionally babysit for them. I occasionally borrow them when i want to see a disney/kids film at the cinema or play on the water maze at Hever Castle but then I very happily give them back. I didn't accept babysitting duties until they were out of nappies and I plan to avoid them like the plague when they hit their teen angst stage.

I NEVER wanted children of my own, if bunnies were anything like kids I wouldn't have them. I love bunnies for their sheer bunniness they are definitely not surrogate kids to me.

 

[Tuckerbunnies]

I've also had this as well, somebody once even asked me if I was barren and couldn't have children. My bunnies are my babies I guess but they are all I have and to be honest they keep me going. If I didn't have them I doubt
I would be here, for me they have given me life and I love them more than most people as they don't and have never hurt me.

I just didn't have children as I have clinical depression and I didn't want them to turn out like me, I don't regret it and when I look at the state of the world I'm glad I didn't.

 

[beki]

I now have children so don't get the questions of pets being substitutes, I never felt them that way before having children. I will admit I got and still do get pet broody especially with seeing baby animals but I never view them as being like children, they are pets, rabbits dogs cats etc.

I did have one cat though who died about 6 years ago and she was my baby, not in the sense that I would go as far to say she was a substitute child, but she lived being held and rocked and slept on my bed and she used to call for me by her meow sounding like "mum". She was just a very loved cat though and not a baby substitute.

 

[Oompa-Loompa]

It really annoys me how women are still being made to feel guilty/weird for not having children! News flash: not everyone wants to be a parent. Come on, it's 2015 :roll:

 

[Fellie]

Yeah..I get this alot...probably doesn't help that I call the buns my kids[emoji2]
But I never wanted human kids so how can rabbits/animals be surrogate children to me. People just assume things and often get it totally wrong

 

[SJ_R]

It really annoys me how women are still being made to feel guilty/weird for not having children! News flash: not everyone wants to be a parent. Come on, it's 2015 :roll:

Oh god, this. Exactly. Especially now that my brother's engaged and might have children, but may not come back here (he's working in Thailand) to raise them.