My parents hate pets. Yes, you read it right, I'm not trying to make them sound cruel or anything, I mean they like animals and all, but they hate the idea of having animals live inside of their own house and they always have.

My mom grew up with a dog but she has always made it clear to my brothers and me that she was pretty much grossed out by him, and he was never her friend. She tells us the story that when she would come home from work and school late at night, the dog would bark endlessly and run towards her; he would successfully knock over vases filled with flowers around the house, along with all of her school-books, and he would slobber her face wet. She'd scream at his fishy breath and shove him off of her. But she'd also tell us that the more she'd scream, the more he'd bark and slobber. I've always told her that he clearly thought that her screaming was her way of showing him excitement; the poor little guy, little did he know.

As for my dad, well he never had a dog. His mother hated animals and never saw the point in owning one. She always said that it was too much work to have an animal inside her perfectly clean and organized home, I'll admit she has a bit of OCD. His father didn't care much, he was basically indifferent to the idea of pets and his sister feared them with her entire life. So my dad basically grew up hearing about how inconvenient dogs were and how dogs were the scariest animals on the planet. Clearly, he grew up with such wrong associations.

So together, my parents aligned their reasons for never getting a dog: fear, inconvenience, and overwhelming, and they have supported each other ever since. No matter what my brother's and I said or did, they have always kept their non-negotiable and hard headed no.

At first, this was really hard for me as a young child. For as long as I've known, all of my friends have had pets; at least one dog for that matter. And every single one of them has always shared the same kind of stories with me; how cute their dog was as a puppy, how heartwarming it was to come home to find their dog waiting for them at the door, how they felt so strongly protected by their dog, how their dog was their best friend when no one else was, and how much unconditional love they felt from their dog. So as a kid, I felt left out during those story-telling times, it even made me jealous.

It didn't help that as a young child, my family and I moved around a lot; I was always forced to make new friends and adapt to new cultures, new languages. Back then, I used to think that things would be better and less lonely if I had a dog because I associated having a dog with having a forever loving friend- no matter what. Even though I was good at making friends and I adjusted pretty fast to the new schools, I forever craved the feeling of being unconditionally loved by a four-legged walking guy or gal.

My parents never understood how much having a dog meant to me though, because they ultimately didn't feel the same way. Even so, I fought them about it for years. I remember crying to my mom endlessly about it; I remember making powerpoint presentations for both of my parents on benefits a dog could bring to the family; I remember writing contracts and strictly signing them, in hopes of proving to them the maturity and responsibility I had and would have in taking care a dog on my own; and I remember begging. I begged them for a long time. But after many years of fighting and crying for a puppy to come home to me and be mine, I let the idea go.

Although, it is important to be noted that not having a dog was really not the end of the world for me. Of course, when I was really young I wanted one, but my family's lifestyle fulfilled me in a much stronger and greater way. My parents took my brothers and me to explore worldwide cultures where we traveled to different cities, we learned the history of different countries, we met diverse people, we tried hundreds of authentic foods, and I have stories and memories within me that could never be replaced.

My parents did everything for my brothers and me, they have always supported us, and fought to give us everything they thought we deserved. I may not have understood their reasoning in the past but today, I respect their opinions and their decisions. I respect their clean, tranquil, and orchid smelling home. And anyway, even though I never had the chance of owning a puppy as a child, it won't stop me from creating adventures with one in the future.