I was doing annual enrollment for my benefits at my job today. They now have a Flex Spending Account for childcare expenses. In case you don’t know what a Flex Spending Account is, it’s a way to use tax-free dollars from your paycheck on specific expenses. Many people have heard of a Medical Flex Spending account for medical expenses. Well, now there’s one for childcare expenses. Here’s the catch though: it’s only for HUMAN children. My child is obviously a dog. His name is Pedro and he’s arguably the best child in the world. I feel highly discriminated against on the fact that since I chose to have a dog-child instead of a regular one, I don’t get the same tax breaks as other parents. It’s bad enough that I can’t claim him as a deduction on my income tax, but now you’re telling me that his childcare expenses aren’t as relevant as someone with a human child? Childcare for my dog is not cheap! First of all, he has to go to Doggy Daycare twice a week to work on his socialization skills and so that he doesn’t get too lonely at home. The veterinarian said so. And second of all, doggy relaxation CDs and his dog sitter DVDs are not cheap either and I’m constantly having to buy new ones so that he doesn’t get too bored on the days he stays home. And if you think about it, our world is already largely overpopulated. Those of us that choose fur babies over human babies are being so much more earth-conscious and we should be rewarded dammit, not punished for adopting instead of procreating. We should be getting extra tax breaks, or at least have a Pet Flex Spending account! Just sayin’.
Stephanie Walters 