Dear Jamie is a regular series where our readers seek advice from Jamie, a Guangdong-based life coach.
Dear Jamie,
My wife and I want a baby, but her parents are insisting we get rid of our dog before my wife gets pregnant. When asked why the dog had to go, my wife said her parents told her ‘dogs carry bad germs.’ The source? Some hometown doctor.
I want a baby. My wife wants a baby. And it’s ridiculous I’m being asked to get rid of a dog we’ve loved for the past three years based on the word of some witchdoctor.
I’ve asked for evidence of the germs and just been told that ‘everyone knows.’ What’s worse, my wife won’t stand up to her parents and believes it’s better to follow whatever they say.
It seems it’s the dog or a baby. I want both.
- Fighting for Fido in Foshan
Dear Fighting for Fido,
You bought into the whole China experience when you married a Chinese woman and started setting down roots here. This is part of the China experience. As much as you love your wife, she loves – and respects – her parents and will likely follow their directions.
You can try talking with the parents directly, but traditional beliefs tend to have staying power. If her parents don’t budge, you’re going to need to decide what is more important to you: a dog or your child.
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