When Nina Puppalina came home with us, we were unprepared for the joy she would bring to our lives and the effect she would have on our family.
Our then 4 ½-year-old daughter Elizabeth loved Nina to pieces, but she had no idea how to behave with her! She squeezed her new canine BFF far too tight and pretty much treated her like a stuffed animal. I had to watch her like a hawk for fear her expressions of love would accidentally hurt the puppy. We had many discussions about how to treat the new puppy and what was appropriate behavior.
One afternoon, I heard Elizabeth singing, “Nina Puppalina, I love you, yes I do, I love you!” Nina’s only response was a whine. I walked into the room to find Elizabeth squeezing Nina too tight while singing her declaration of love.
I Iooked into our sweet puppy’s eyes as I gently set her free. I wondered what she was feeling at that moment—loved, scared, confused?! I considered how our puppy was adjusting to her new environment with our family. Those sweet eyes told me that her adjustment was not sailing very smoothly.
I felt like a mother who was failing. I was not able to effectively demonstrate to Elizabeth what is appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior with our puppy. Our Elizabeth hugged her to hard, kissed her too hard, and basically loved our little puppy too much.
At that moment, as I looked into Nina’s eyes, it occurred to me that a story from Nina’s perspective would resonate better with Elizabeth than my constant verbal reminders.
I sat down at my computer and started to type. I stayed true to my original intent and wrote the story from Nina’s perspective. I wanted Elizabeth to understand Nina’s new world from her own eyes. The voice of an authentic dog proved to be a challenge, but I did my best and persevered.
And thus The Great Adventures of Nina Puppalina and Lizzy Lou was born.
My number one (and only) critic listened to my story. She squirmed with excitement and laughed with joy. But she proved my theory: she finally understood appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior with her puppy. Life between the two of them improved immensely.
And I had a book in my hands. What was I going to do next?
Our then 4 ½-year-old daughter Elizabeth loved Nina to pieces, but she had no idea how to behave with her! She squeezed her new canine BFF far too tight and pretty much treated her like a stuffed animal. I had to watch her like a hawk for fear her expressions of love would accidentally hurt the puppy. We had many discussions about how to treat the new puppy and what was appropriate behavior.
One afternoon, I heard Elizabeth singing, “Nina Puppalina, I love you, yes I do, I love you!” Nina’s only response was a whine. I walked into the room to find Elizabeth squeezing Nina too tight while singing her declaration of love.
I Iooked into our sweet puppy’s eyes as I gently set her free. I wondered what she was feeling at that moment—loved, scared, confused?! I considered how our puppy was adjusting to her new environment with our family. Those sweet eyes told me that her adjustment was not sailing very smoothly.
I felt like a mother who was failing. I was not able to effectively demonstrate to Elizabeth what is appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior with our puppy. Our Elizabeth hugged her to hard, kissed her too hard, and basically loved our little puppy too much.
At that moment, as I looked into Nina’s eyes, it occurred to me that a story from Nina’s perspective would resonate better with Elizabeth than my constant verbal reminders.
I sat down at my computer and started to type. I stayed true to my original intent and wrote the story from Nina’s perspective. I wanted Elizabeth to understand Nina’s new world from her own eyes. The voice of an authentic dog proved to be a challenge, but I did my best and persevered.
And thus The Great Adventures of Nina Puppalina and Lizzy Lou was born.
My number one (and only) critic listened to my story. She squirmed with excitement and laughed with joy. But she proved my theory: she finally understood appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior with her puppy. Life between the two of them improved immensely.
And I had a book in my hands. What was I going to do next?
