Parental Guidance

The responsibility of being a parent is so huge it's indescribable. I am completely responsible for the lives of my two children. Their health, their physical and emotional well-being, their safety, their education, their attitude, their perception of themselves, their perception of the world....it goes on and it goes on for their whole lives.

The top 5 things I have learnt so far in my role as a mother:

1. Everything your children say and do is a reflection of you
This has made me want to be a better person. Sometimes I stop and ask myself, exactly who is raising who? My children have made me stop swearing, because I don't want them to repeat it. They made me eat my meals at the table instead of on the sofa in front of the TV. They have made me want to eat healthily so I can set a good example. They have made me want to pray so they can learn about their religion, background and language.

2. Kids will be kids
They will NOT always do what you want them to do and so you should not expect them to.
In a nutshell: You can take a horse to water......you know the rest.

3. They have given me a new sense of wonder at the world
The way the clouds move, an ant on the ground, the shells or pebbles on the beach are subjects of intense fascination. Their attention to detail is amazing. The shape, colour and texture of the moon is discussed at length on a regular basis.

4. Parenting is lifelong learning on the job
As soon as you think you've tackled a problem you've been trying to solve, they've moved on from it and have gone into another phase, giving you another issue to deal with and another problem to solve. Babies cry, then sit then crawl, then walk, then talk, then run, become toddlers, become influenced by their peers, become tweenies, then teenagers, each phase with its own plethora of challenges. Seeing as it takes 18 years to become an adult, this is one long learning curve.

5. Always remember why you had them
The answer is invariably to enjoy them...so do that and don't sweat the small stuff. If you are getting stressed about something your child is doing (or not doing), ask yourself if your behaviour tells your child that you love them. If not, then change it. Treat your child with respect. Ignore the unwanted behaviour, praise the good.

I'm still learning.......