I must say my mother is too much. Last time when she came to visit us, she told everything about me as a kid to my kids. I mean- everything. How could she do it? Now my kids tease me about all those things.

My mom told them that I was mighty scared of dogs when I was a kid. Actually I was just too terrified of them. I would make sure that I stay miles away from a dog. With age- I have outgrown the fear but still the bark of a dog puts me on my guard.

Now my kids are just the opposite. They adore dogs. Now this is something they have inherited from their mom. My wife absolutely loves dogs. She had two dogs in the family while growing up. Infact when I was dating her, I made sure that I never went even near her house. They were two absolutely huge, frightening creatures. My wife called them cookie and brownie. Well- there is no accounting for people’s choices when it comes to names. But I dare not say it to my wife- she will shoot me then and there.

My wife has this life long grudge against me that I am completely against the idea of having a dog in our home. But she has understood with time. It’s not that I have a personal problem with dogs- it’s just that I don’t like to be around them. I feel weird.

But my kids are hell bent on having a dog. Their argument is that if there will be a dog in the house, then my feelings will change towards them. They say that dogs are the most loving and loyal pets. They have told me endless stories about their friend’s dogs. I didn’t know what to do. So I just told them that we will have a dog next month. They were simply bubbling with joy.

Ever since that day- my wife and kids are busy thinking about a name for our dog. They talk about this the entire day. They have made a proper list also. Oh God- what do I do now? I can’t break their hearts by telling them I was simply joking.

I must take your leave now. I am feeling tired. Take care. Bye.

After much thinking, the ‘common man’ and his family brought a little puppy in their house. They named him ‘happy’. From that day, ‘happy’ became an integral part of their lives. The common man tried hard to happy.