The Joys of Parenting

From the day you find out you are pregnant, you are in a state of constant curiosity. It starts with wondering if it is a boy or a girl. Then you begin to wonder will the baby look like mommy, or daddy? We spend nine months wondering, and anxiously waiting. The day finally arrives, and when you hold the baby for the first time, you are then in a state of awe. Not believing that this precious little thing actually grew inside of you. Those first moments are incredible. As time passes by you are constantly amazed with watching your child grow and develop. There are trying times, when you just don't think you are going to be able to make it through. There are amusing times when your child says or does something, and you don't think you will ever be able to stop laughing. There are milestones, you child says his first word, or takes his first steps. There are heartwarming times, when your child says for the first time "I love you mommy", or "I love you daddy". The years quickly pass and your family grows. You then get into crazy times. Wondering how you are going to get one child to soccer practice on this side of town, and get the other one to basketball practice on the other side of town at the exact same time. Before you know it, you are at a high school graduation, and as watch your child walk accross the stage to receive his diploma, you are again in awe of the wonderful person your child has become, and where in the world all of the time went. When your youngest child graduates from high school and prepares to head off to college, you begin wondering; "Wow, what am I going to do with myself?" Take comfort in knowing that your job as a parent is not finished. No matter how old your child gets, they will continue coming to you for advice, for help, for someone to talk to, or for someone to lean on. The joys of parenting begin at pregnancy, and will continue for the rest of your life.