Being a parent...

As I was growing up and my parents would discipline me I did not always agree or even understand the punishment. There were plenty of times that I said to myself, when I grow up I am never going to do that to my child or say certain things to my child. But as I raised my daughter I found myself repeating a lot of the same things that was done to me. Some of these things were good and some were not so good, but I say wait, stop, and listen for no one that becomes a parent is given a handbook or manual on how to be a parent. Sure there are dozens, hundreds of books written on parenting but really, these books were written after the fact. I mean these people became parents, went through the trials and errors and then thought gee, let me write a book on parenting for I've got this in the bag. No one knows how to parent for this is a learning as you go type of thing and you do the best that you can by what you know. You go by the way you were treated and what you have learned from others. Parents with more than one child will work even harder for they do not want to repeat mistakes from one child to the next but to continue to raise them the best way possible. Yes, it would be great if we all had instructions given to us as we leave the hospital but we do have the ability to love and learn and make our mistakes and hope that we have made a difference in some one's life. Its hard being a parent but its so worth it...