I was robbed of so many things that day. My parents won't be at my wedding, they won't get to hold their future grandchild, and they won't get to see me have the successful career I'm still seeking. It simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me.
The bond we form with our pets activates specific attachment pathways that human relationships often can't access, creating a grief that hits differently-not because we love our relatives less, but because the love we share with animals exists in its purest, most uncomplicated form.
In a recent study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers tracked over 3,000 people to understand why they seek love. They found that the love that thrives aligns with intrinsic motivation and identified regulation - genuine, internalized reasons for pursuing a relationship. Individuals with autonomous motivation were more likely to develop and maintain long-term romantic relationships. It was less a matter of obligation and more one of genuine concern for their partner's happiness.
Some of the funniest bits are about her raising her son. When she's ashamed of yelling at him: "It's like bitch-slapping E.T." When another mother in her son's class makes a passive-aggressive comment: "I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish."