Motherhood

     The word that best describes motherhood to me......bittersweet.  These are the worst of times and the best of times.  I have never experienced anything in my life that is so trying yet so rewarding. Even during the trying times, of course, you still love them dearly.  Some days you take deep breaths and hope you don't kill them.  Other days they have you smiling from ear to ear with joy.  Nobody tells you those things  prior to having children.  Maybe somebody does but you either don't listen or think it will be different for you LOLOL.  Although all children are different, one thing they all have in common is the fact that they are children.  They will test your patience one minute and fill you with joy the next.
    This entry would not be complete if I did not talk about babies.....oh babies!!!!!   Who doesn't love a baby?  They are absolutely wonderful and adorable.  You only have to feed them, clothe them, and teach them to talk and walk.   One might argue that time is the most enjoyable period of parenthood.   You may be sleep deprived at the beginning but everything else is pretty darn easy.  Additionally, everyone talks about how expensive babies are......this is incorrect.  Babies are cheap, it is children who are expensive.  I am sure all of you parents would agree.  For those of you who have not had the good fortune to have children, I can only say to treasure the moments you have before you send them off to school.  That is when the difficult part of parenthood begins.

    I have not yet had the wonderful experience of being the parent of a teenager.  Lord knows I have heard horror stories.  I only know what it is like to be a teenager.  I wouldn't do that over again if given the opportunity.  If anybody would like to share their experience with raising a teenager, I would welcome the advice.  Someone far wiser than me said to me while I was pregnant with my daughter, "You are about to embark on the best and hardest thing you will ever do in your life."  I couldn't have said it better myself...it defines parenthood perfectly.
  I would like to give a special shout out to my cousin David for that great advice.