🚀 go-pugleaf

Tom Day wrote:
 
> After the kid makes it through being a teenager, we'll see how you
> vote.  It's easy being the parent of a baby-through-12 year old.
> Teenagers are hell.
> --
> 
> T.W. Day               twday@netcom.com

Well, our kid is now 15 and I can truthfully say "baby-through-12 year old" was not 
"easy" by any definition of the word. Taking care of the physical needs of very young 
children, teaching them the preliminaries of how to live in society, teaching them 
values, helping them define who they are, just plain loving them no matter how difficult 
they may be or what they may say in their immature rantings, is hardly "easy". In many 
ways, the younger years were harder and more demanding of all our personal, mental, 
physical resouces. Just when you think you can't give any more, you go on and give the 
child(ren) what they need, not just physical support, but emotionally and 
psychologically.

Now that she's 15, all of our involvement and years of commiment are beginning to show 
fruit. She is indeed becoming an individual, separating herself from us as she moves 
toward adulthood. We gave her a good set of personal values, spent a lot of time working 
with her on personal integrity issues and personal responsibility issues and we continue 
to do so. Because we've "put the time in" over the years, we're very proud of how she is 
choosing to grow and develop now that she is more autonomous. We have to stand back 
more, allow her more room to make her own choices and that is perhaps more difficult in 
the long run. Our "job" is by no means over or even nearly so, but now we become more 
mentors, guides, taking more of a back seat as she grows into adulthood. We have laid a 
good foundation with her, but now has to begin to separate herself into an individual in 
her own right, with her own values, goals and choices.

I guess what I'm saying is that parenthood isn't an "easy" responsiblity, no matter what 
the age of the child. It's a 24-hr. responsibility and commitment, no matter what's 
going on in your life or career; no matter if you're sick or tired or frustrated. Your 
wants and desires must often be put on hold for the benefit and good of the child. 
That's what a mature parent understands and gives to their child. We made this 
commitment when we chose to have a child and the gifts and rewards we received as a 
result have surpassed anything we ever thought we would experience. Parenting can 
challenge us to our depths and fulfill us beyond our wildest dreams.

But none of it has been, or will continue to be, "easy."

Speaking to my own experience,
  Hope