We never did invest in a nanny cam.  I can see the benefit, especially if someone else spends all day with your kids, but we never felt the need for one in our home.  Or, more accurately, the discussion of having a nanny cam never even came up between BrightSide and me.

There were plenty of times when it would have been advantageous to have a bird’s eye view of what went down in the other room.  Knowing exactly how Sharpie got on the carpet.  Being able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt who threw the first Lego.  These would have saved valuable brain cells spent sorting through denials and accusations, brain cells that might even have fired up to make a dinner or two.  But alas, we went old school.

Over the last few years, though, I’ve come to see a whole new benefit to this type of surveillance.

The Secret Life of Pets pretty much summed it up…I mean, wouldn’t you love to see what your dogs (cats/hamsters/rabbits/turtles/chinchillas/bearded dragon lizards) do when they’re home alone?  I know I would.  (And how much did you LOVE that head banging poodle?  You haven’t seen it?  Oh my gosh, click over to watch right this minute!)

I’d love to know what those scamps do when I’m not in earshot.  Does Phoebe boss Gracie around, stealing her bones and taking her spot on the couch?  Does Gracie search the house, grid by grid, until unearthing some new item to rip into microscopic pieces?

Are they rolling and rollicking through the rooms, bouncing off walls and wrestling with one another?  Curled up like cats on the couch, snoring away as they dream of chasing deer?  Standing guard at the front door, barking maniacally at every wisp of wind that shakes the leaves?

Sure, sometimes they leave clues lying about.  A shredded bag.  Mussed up covers on the bed.  A drool covered sock.  I’ve gotten pretty good at sussing out the backstory.  Still…

Wouldn’t it be priceless to be a fly on the wall for those pet antics?