My life was changed forever the day I got a puppy. For me, this meant a newly-discovered sense of responsibility and love. This puppy would be all my own, and I had to figure out how to care for it. I was 15 at the time, so of course I was old enough to comprehend the level of care a puppy actually requires.. The first step was to pick out the puppy that I wanted most, which took nearly the entire day and stops to about five pet stores and adoption centers. Luckily enough, the puppy was previously given a name, so I didn’t have to try to decide what to name him; I did find two middle names for him within the first few months of owning him. Thus his full name became Felix Otto Crouton. Felix was his given name; I decided on Otto simply because he just looked like an Otto and that’s the only explanation I really have, and Crouton was because his color resembled a crouton and he really enjoyed eating those more than his own dog food. I picked out toys for him, from ones that squeaked to balls to ropes to play tug. He got his own dog bed and food and water bowls, a leash, and harness for walks. From the start, I knew he would be a spoiled dog.

After having him for a year and a half, I can truly appreciate how this tiny puppy changed my life. He taught me the value of unconditional love through how happy he is each time I come home and how he constantly has to be right next to me. I know how to take care of him properly based on what he likes and doesn’t like, among other factors. I know that he enjoys chew toys more than the other ones; he loves croutons and blueberries more than any other human food, he insists on having a carrot everyday before bed, and his favorite form of exercise is playing soccer in the backyard. His favorite family member, besides me of course, is grandma and he loves going to doggy day camp to see his friends. It’s an amazing feeling to know everything about an animal that doesn’t even know how to talk. The responsibility of taking care of him isn’t a burden, unlike most chores. Having this little ball of fluff taught me how important it is to have something I love unconditionally.

While I was growing up I was always told by countless adults to “treat other the way you want to be treated” and “respect your elders” and of course I listened to them. However, as I get older I learned that there are limitations to these statements and that respect, to some people, has a completely different meaning. By this point, the rebellious teenage years, I am done with these false statements with dual meanings.

It happens most often with adults, more commonly relatives. For some reason, parents believe that it’s disrespectful when you don’t let them disrespect you. It makes no sense, but apparently I am the one that is talking back to the adult when I am just trying to defend myself so then when I “talk back” it’s considered disrespectful. This disrespect by adults happens more commonly than people would like to admit so when they disrespect me I like to point it out, but of course once again I am the one that is wrong because I chose to talk back to an adult.

Another instance that happens often is that people use the word respect to mean treating someone as an authority, rather than treating someone as a person like the definition is supposed to mean. This is pursued further when someone that is in a higher position says “if you won’t respect me, then I won’t respect you,” but they actually mean “if you won’t treat me like authority, then I won’t treat you like a person” and honestly that is not okay. People can’t use the word respect to cover up their true intentions because by the actual definition of respect, that is one of the most disrespectful things a person can do, but they think they’re being fair and they really are not.

I can’t seem to escape this circle of misinterpretations and false definitions because I am punished for being disrespectful. The only thing I do is try and explain why the other person is wrong in a civil discussion, but apparently I am fighting authority, which is disrespectful. Adults are the biggest hypocrites always saying that I am the one that is disrespectful, yet when they disrespect me and I try to defend myself I am the one that is disrespectful for defying authority.