The Magic of Growing Up With Benji

There is something incredibly special about watching my kids grow up with Benji, our energetic, dramatic, and endlessly loving corgi. He is not the calm and perfectly behaved dog you see in movies. He is loud, expressive, and convinced that he is the supervisor of every activity that happens in this home. Yet in all his chaos and personality, he has become one of the most meaningful teachers my kids will ever learn from. Every single day he shows them what real love looks like in its purest form. Love that does not need to be spoken. Love that sits by you when you are sad. Love that celebrates you when you walk in the door. Love that says I am here simply because you exist and that is enough.

Growing up with Benji has taught my kids that affection does not have to be quiet or delicate. Sometimes love looks like a tiny body launching itself onto your lap with full enthusiasm. Sometimes it is a trail of toys he brings one by one because he wants to share. Sometimes it is the way he squeezes his way into the middle of every cuddle because he wants to belong. Through him, they learn that love is not something you earn. It is something you give freely and receive openly.

They also learn patience in a way that only a corgi can teach. Feeding Benji is a lesson in staying calm while he behaves like he has not eaten in fourteen years. Walking him requires patience for a million stops because every leaf, every sound, and every breeze demands his full attention. Brushing him teaches them that sometimes taking care of someone you love can be messy and time consuming, but still worth it. My kids are learning that slowing down and meeting someone where they are is one of the most important parts of building connection.

Benji also teaches them what loyalty looks like in real life. He follows them from room to room as if it is his personal mission to make sure everyone is accounted for. He checks on them when they are sleeping. He sits beside them when they are sick or upset. He waits outside the bathroom because being apart for thirty seconds is too long in his world. Through him, my kids learn that loyalty is not a promise. It is a behavior. It is consistency. It is presence. It is care shown through action.

Another lesson they learn is that joy does not have to come from something big or expensive. Benji is genuinely happy with the simplest things. A walk. A treat. A nap with someone he loves. A patch of sunlight on the floor. A squeaky toy that he proudly parades around the house. My kids learn from him that happiness is always available in the small, ordinary moments. Life does not have to be perfect for there to be joy. It just has to be lived with an open heart.

Benji also teaches them confidence. He is the smallest one in the house but carries himself like he is ten feet tall. He walks like he owns the place. He protects like he is a lion. He stands proudly in the middle of any room without shrinking himself to make others comfortable. My kids see this and learn that you are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to be your full self. You do not need permission to shine.

Most importantly, Benji teaches them about family. Not the kind defined by blood or last names. The kind defined by presence, connection, love, and shared life. He shows them that family grows in unexpected ways and that sometimes the ones who change you the most are the ones who arrive on four little paws. He makes our home feel safe and warm. He makes our kids feel protected and understood. And he makes all of us softer.

Watching my children grow up with Benji is one of the sweetest gifts of motherhood. Every day he helps shape their character, their empathy, their patience, and their understanding of unconditional love. I could not have chosen a better little soul to add to our family. He is not perfect, but he is ours, and the lessons he teaches my children will stay with them forever.

What has your fur baby taught your family that no one else could have?