Being Mommy...

Is the manual on how to be a mom escaping me? Did I overlook it years ago while frantically trying to read and memorize "What to Expect When You're Expecting"?

Why is it that there are numerous books, videos, classes, etc., on what to expect before, during, and immediately after birth, yet there are few books that give us even a tiny glimpse of what it will be like to be a parent?

I'm guessing because nobody has the answers. Nobody really knows.

So how do we do it? How do we function without a guide...without a textbook...without the parenting how-to manual? We go by what our parents did, the advice they give us, and pure instinct.

I'll admit...I was petrified when I had my first child. I had no idea what to do. I had no idea what NOT to do. But it works itself out...you do the best that you can, and you learn from the mistakes you make.

The learning never stops. Its like trying to navigate through a maze, while climbing Mt. Everest, barefoot.

Introducing solid foods...

Taking the first step...

Teething... (painful for both child and parent)

Learning to talk...

Potty training...

Wait, it doesn't stop there.

First day of kindergarten...

Riding a bike...

Tying shoes...

Losing the teeth which caused so many tears, temps, ear infections, sleepless nights... (why can't the first set be the only set?)

What do you mean we're not done?

The first hurt feelings...

Writing their name...

Learning how to swim...

The list goes on and on. It never stops. But looking back, these moments, these learning moments without a manual, these are the moments we as parents remember.

As a mommy of two teens, I am entering a whole new chapter of the "Mommy How-To" manual I am writing as I go. Its not easy...I remember my teen years and I just hope and pray that they make better decisions than I did. That they realize that there is so much more out there than right now. They have their whole lives to live.

I love being a mommy. It is the best job in the world. I can't imagine another job for which you get so much satisfaction with no monetary compensation.

The only compensation I receive, the only compensation I need, is their love.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOMMIES OUT THERE!!!