Saturday, October 19, 2013

Am I Prepared to Raise a Child?

You’ve probably asked yourself this questions many times throughout your pregnancy “ am I prepared to raise a child?”  

You’ve most likely prepared your home, the nursery and bought all those necessary items all parents and babies’ need but I am not talking about being prepared in that sense.  You may or may not be surprised to learn that very few of us prepare for this very important role. Some think and are even under the impression it will come naturally. I’d like to impress upon you a couple of things, I don’t want to scare you but this will be the most important role of your life. Raising a child is not for the faint of heart or the weak. To raise a confident, positive human being you will need to bring you’re “A” game. You know that saying you hear some parents say “you didn’t come with an instruction manual” that may have been true 50 plus years ago it’s not the case any longer.  Apparently the good doctors at the American Academy of Pediatrics thought we needed some help with this career of raising children because they have published many books on the subject.  I recommend you break open a couple of them and get busy.  This is serious business and a role you should study to gain the knowledge you will need.  It will be a long wait to see if you pasted the course. But at some point in your child’s life you will know your grade and you can relax and finally get a good nights sleep. OH yeah your first lesson… forget about sleep for the next 25 years!  You’ll probably be in your 50’s when you'll know if you’ve done a good job then you can sleep, with any luck you'll also be rewarded with life's true blessing, grandchildren and sharing your wisdom.
Break Open a BOOK it does a Baby Good

Life is a circle some of us are lucky enough to see full circle. The best and most important advice I can give you is spent time with your children; they grow up fast with or without you. Time is in short supply for all of us; use the time you have wisely. Educate yourself and through your own education your children will be mentally and physically healthy and able to reach their own full potential.

I’ve listed a couple great books to get you started. Good luck on your journey and god bless you for your courage.

You can find these books and many more on Amazon.com

1.     Guide to Raising Your Children – American Academy of Pediatrics

2.     The A-Z Guide to Raising, Confident Kids – Dr. Jenn Berman and Donna Corwin