Nobody is saying that having kids and babies is the same, but if the level of difficulty for parenthood is a 10 out of 10, maybe having pets is a two out of 10, and having been there is much better than quickly going from level 0 to level 10 by having kids. Here are ways having pets prepares you for parenthood.
Have several friends or family members stay with you and your partner for a few days. Every moment, someone will need something. Where do you keep your mugs? Do you have any cereal? How do you work the remote control? Shoot, they broke something—was that valuable? They need a ride. They don’t have a car here.