Parenting: My Take on Things Thus Far

My journey into parenthood began with the birth of my daughter almost 12 years ago. Was I ready? No. Did I have the means and ability? Yes.

Those early years were some very important and precious years. "Milk Years"; yes, that is what I will call them and not just for the obvious reason. As a parent, I can see, I have grown through increments of time and stages of life. One sweet or painful experience at a time. But these beginning experiences were only the "milk" that would "nourish" me; prepare me for the next set of stages. As newborns can only consume the gentle life giving nutrients of milk. For reasons I do not fully understand, so too, parents can only start with the mostly simple mundane tasks of caring for an infant and toddler.  At this stage we do not yet know what the "Meat" of parenthood will be like. So for those first years we consume  only the mildness of the "Milk".

Allison is our first born. She is the sibling "guinea pig".  We experience every new change that goes on with a child through her first. I wonder sometimes what that might feel like for her. She is now entering a new stage. Middle school + turning 12 yrs. old, as I recall, is a very big jump to make within the years of adolesence. She might in her mind wish for the more simpler days of kindergarten field trips and recess after lunch. When I see the changes and difficulties she is starting to face I can recall a little of my own feelings that I had at that stage in my life. Though now as a parent, I feel I am no longer drinking the "Milk", but am now tasting the tougher consistentsy of the "Meat". Now that I have entered what I now call "Real Parenting" I now find myself, at times, summoning up the memories I have of swimming in the creek, picking blackberries, running through the woods experiencing the first joys and sweetnesses of life. To put it as simply as I can; this new stage of parenting is hard.

The only solace that I am hanging onto now at this stage of parenting is, yes, I have the ability and I remember the words of my Father: Heatherly, no one passes with an 'A'.