58. Don't overburden your aged mother with a urine-marking dog

"Thank you," the 60-year-old home-maker woman surprised me with thanks, as I put the urine-marking Maltese into the crate in preparation for neutering.

We are from the baby-boomer generation but had travelled different paths to become senior citizens of Singapore (anybody over 55 years old are in this category). She became a mother at a young age while I was still studying. Her children are grown up and working while mine is still studying.

"Women have a lot of children at that time, in the seventies," I said.

"Not possible because of a law requiring women to be sterilised if they had more than 2 children. Did you know it?"

"I remember about the law controlling the number of children," I said. "Were you ligated?"

"Yes," she said. "Not only were home-makers affected. A school principal also had her fallopian tubes tied up too. Otherwise, her 3rd or 4th child would be forced to be schooled far away from home. It was just too expensive and stressful to send 4 children to 4 separate schools."

"Yes, it was a 2-children-policy with penalties. Are you angry at the government now? "

"It was necessary to control the population explosion at that time," she said.

"Too much work," she said when I asked about the urine-marking of the male Maltese. "8 times a day or more mopping the floor and walls and furniture."

I faced the daughter who is a professional. "Why do you make your aged mother do work when she had already cleaned up your bottom when you were a child? Shouldn't she have time for herself instead of cleaning up after a dog? This dog should be neutered earlier at 6 months of age."

The daughter said, "It is my younger brother's dog. I will talk to him about neutering."



The good daughter left with her mother. That was a few days ago. I did not expect any response as Singaporeans seem to be against neutering of male dogs (in my opinion).

Surprisingly, the brother agreed. I understood the meaning of "thank you" from the mother. It meant that she had more time for herself if the Maltese reduced or stopped urine-marking.

To alleviate the work load of the senior citizen mothers, grown up children must neuter the male dog if he starts to urine-mark. The operation is not so effective at 2 years of age. It should be done at 6 months of age. But it is better late than never.

At least the aged mother can spend her golden years doing things she liked. Not everybody has maids. So, grown up children need to free their aged mothers of extra chores.