PARENTING

One of my biggest fears --- that I’ll fail as a parent. I thought before that once you show your children how much you love them, everything will just fall into places – you and your children will just blend in with each other. I was wrong.

Parenthood is a tough experience (a really tough one at that) especially as your children grow older. Even if you’ll learn from them as they from you, still, it’s a job, be it part time or full time. Like a job, there are both fulfillments and frustrations. You learn, you cope, adapt, and then apply what you learned. Being a parent is never an easy job – from changing diapers to giving and applying the rules. I have always believed that one should not stay strictly a parent, but must be a friend also. But not every child acts and reacts the same – that’s a fact.

I’ve become quite paranoid especially now that I have a teenager in my hands. I get frustrated particularly if I feel I’m not doing anything right. Lately I found myself browsing on parents’ forums in the hopes of getting some tips whenever I’m faced with a teenager crisis. In all fairness to my teenage son, he’s not the typical teenager with all that angst. It’s just that he’s been going through a different phase in his life, and I’m really trying very hard to gain his trust and vice versa.

Oh God, it’s taxing, really. Like every parent, all I can hope and pray for is that I’ll be given more strength, patience, and sanity. Of course, I’m still on the trial and error stage so it’s quite tricky. I just hope I’ll do well.