Lazy vs. Irresponsible

Photo by H. Marsh

I saw one of our neighbors out riding her bicycle the other day. She was wearing a helmet, so I didn't recognize her right away. I haven't actually met her, but I've watched her training her puppy to walk on leash, so I've come to feel that I know her a little bit. She's done a very good job training the dog. When I see her, it makes me happy to know that her dog is living a very good life. And then I start to feel guilty about our dogs, who don't go on walks very often and don't get nearly the amount of love and attention that they used to get before Little Omi was born. So when I saw this woman riding her bike and wearing a helmet, I thought, Good for her! Of course she wears a helmet! She's a very responsible gal!

This got me to thinking, what is the difference between being lazy and being irresponsible? I tell myself that I am a lazy dog owner, but am I actually an irresponsible dog owner? And is there a difference? One thing is clear to me: when I became a mother, several things about me that I used to chalk up to "lazy" moved into the "irresponsible" category. For instance, if I don't floss my teeth, which sounds lazy except when you consider that not flossing can actually shorten one's life span, thereby possibly putting my child in danger of becoming an orphan. Suddenly, not flossing starts to sound irresponsible. There are a ton of other examples. Not exercising. Not eating healthfully. And so on, and so on. Suddenly, I've realized that my previous lazy self must now contend with the label "irresponsible" or, worse still, "irresponsible mother." I don't like that one bit. And when I start to think that I may be passing this laziness-turned-irresponsibility on to Little Omi, my stomach turns.

New motto: I must be a responsible adult. (Repeat 500 times.)