P is for Parenting

There are so many different books on the market that profess to teach us how to be the perfect parent so why aren't we? Why haven't we all got perfect little families who are polite and well behaved 100% of the time. Errrrrrmmmm, I'd say because none of us are perfect and not one of those books is any good at three o'clock in the morning when the baby is screaming, toddler is bouncing on the bed and hubby is snoring away, oblivious.
Books can't bring up babies, they can give a few pointers but ultimately every baby is different and what works for one will never work for another. I've had four and not one of them was the same.
With my first baby, I stumbled along as best I could. I panicked every time he cried or slept through a feed and when he was asleep I checked his breathing every half an hour. Despite my many mistakes, he survived babyhood.
I was positive my second baby would be easier, I'd made most of mistakes by then and thought I knew what to expect. Cue the baby from hell. He wouldn't feed, wouldn't sleep and screamed the house down for three hours solid every night. In spite of all that, I survived his babyhood!
Third baby was really easy, after all I'd just visited hell so nothing could phase me now. And by the time the fourth came it was old hat.
But then came childhood, again nobody can prepare you for it. And don't get me started on how to survive the teenage years! Amazingly, I have come out the other side and now have four fantastic lads who I am very proud of. In spite of me they are all well adjusted, functioning members of society so I guess I got something right.
Parenting is flippin hard work, mostly unrewarded, usually undervalued but one of the greatest things you can ever do. The joy you receive when a baby looks into your eyes and smiles is above any kind you can imagine, so to when a toddler throws his arms around your kneck and plants a sloppy kiss on your face, and when a child tells you they love you, when a teenager sheepishly hands you a bunch of flowers just because you're his mum.
Nobody tells you how it's done, nobody knows how it's done but every parent eventually gets to the point where they can look back and say, 'I did it, I brought life into the world, nurtured it, protected it, helped it to grow.'
Then we set them free to become parents themselves, we sit back and have a good laugh at all the mistakes they are making, shake our heads and wish we could help but all of us know we have to let them do it alone. It's the only way they can learn!