The Beginning of a New Adventure

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The Beginning of a New Adventure
The decision to create a new life, the time and planning it took to conceive, the excitement of finding out that you were going to have a child, the joyous (and sometimes not so joyous) aspects of carrying a child, the anticipation of meeting one of the great loves of your life, the building of baby's nest, the tremendous physical and emotional journey to bring your child into the world, have consumed your life for close to a year or more now.

When baby arrives, that introductory part of your parenting adventure ends, and a new, even more exciting adventure begins….loving, caring for, protecting, and nourishing your little one's body, mind, and soul.

When you become a parent, your life focus changes. That focus? Growing a sweet little baby up into a happy and healthy child, a responsible yet adventurous teen, a well-rounded and satisfied adult. That and ensuring that the world that person grows in is safe, on both small and large scales. You'll keep your home safe, but you'll also need to keep your schools, your community, your world safe so that your little one can flourish. It's a big job, but you are the perfect person to do that job for your child.

You, along with your family and close friends, have been given a wondrous gift in the form of the baby you've created. Cherish that child for the gift he or she is.

One of the beautiful things about babies and children is that they trust their parents whole heartedly. Not only do they love us unconditionally, they believe that we have all the answers. At least for the first decade they're with us. Do you have all the answers about parenting? About balancing your home life with your work life? You may not even know what kind of diapers to buy, let alone know how to build an award winning science project, but guess what?

It's okay. There will be answers you don't have…from the time your miracle is four days old, 'til she's four years old, all the way until she's twenty four years old.

So, how do you know you're going to parent your little one as well as they deserve? If you make a promise to yourself to love him with all your heart, to meet your own needs as well as everyone else's, to view parenthood (and all of life, really) as a never-ending learning process, you and your child will both get what you deserve - love, peace, happiness, comfort, amusement, and inspiration.

Classes, classes and more classes
While there's no preparation for raising a child quite like hands on experience, education is a helpful tool. Information about developmental milestones, physical development, cognitive growth, organization, product recommendations, behavioral concerns and sound advice give you a storehouse of knowledge to pull from, confidence in your decisions, and a sense of peace. There's an entertainment and camaraderie factor, too. Knowing that other people have strained peas stuck to their light fixtures, knock-knock joke obsessed second graders, or trouble finding a babysitter helps put things in perspective. Education is about your kids, but it's also about you.

The childbirth education classes are over, but the learning should continue.
Think about all you learned in those few sessions to prepare you for pregnancy and delivery. If you prepared that thoroughly for birthing a healthy baby, don't you think you should continue learning about every step you and your child will be taking together on your grand adventure.

There are so many opportunities to learn with and about your children. Some classes focus on your child's growth and development, some are about your own. All are opportunities to connect with other parents, child development experts, and potential buddies for your baby, toddler, preschooler, and child.

Check with your pediatrician, local library, mothers' group, community center, and watch your newspaper for news of classes in your area.
Sometimes the classes require a fee, other times they're free. The information you receive will be priceless.

Parents only classes are beneficial for two reasons. First and foremost, they give you information in a setting where you are not distracted by meeting the needs of your child. These parents are not just for mothers; encourage Dad to attend, too.

Parent/child classes are fun because they give you an opportunity to socialize your children. While most parent/child classes are movement or music based, there is a growing number of informational classes and groups forming across the country. Guest speakers, child-friendly restaurants, educational offerings are combined in a baby friendly setting, making learning experiences more accessible to parents.

Child Development Courses College campuses are great places for parental education. Consider signing up for a Child Development course at your local college. If you can use the credits toward a degree, register as a student. If the credits are not necessary, call the registrar's office and ask for information on auditing classes.

You'll get the latest information on child development, enabling you to better understand your child's physical and emotional needs.

Magazines Obstetricians and pediatricians often free trial subscription cards for parenting magazines. Try out all the free subscriptions available, and then decide which magazines you'd like to pay for. Subscription prices are usually significantly lower than newsstand prices, so if you find yourself buying the same magazine over and over, a subscription is well worth the price.

Parenting magazines run the gamut from pregnancy and baby centered all the way to magazines designed for parents of teens, with general and specific interests in between. Magazines like Parents, American Baby, Family Fun, and Child are great tools for dealing with everyday issues like play date etiquette to larger issues like bedwetting. There are question and answer columns, tips from doctors and experts, birthday party ideas, you name it.

Continuing education As your baby grows to big kid, there will continue to be opportunities for parent education. Take advantage of seminars run by parents' organizations at school, libraries, even religious organizations.

Literature Watch the bestseller's list for new books on child care. Talk to your doctor about recommended authors and educators. Always have a developmental guide on hand at home for those between doctor visit questions.

Just as you will encourage your child to be a life-long learner, you should see your own life as an opportunity for learning... ...about yourself, about your child, about the world. Education is a tool for success. Many professions mandate that professionals take classes regularly to keep up with the latest information and developments to keep people at the top of their game professionally.

You know you want to be a success at parenting this baby, so educating yourself about the ages and stages as (and ideally just prior to) he goes through them will help you be the best parent you can be.

Each time you think you have reached the pinnacle of happiness and amazement, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that babies and children bring new discoveries, new joys, new excitement to their families everyday…from seeing those first precious smiles, to watching them master a two wheeler, to listening to their jokes, to the spontaneous affection and pure joy they find in the simplest of things.

The adventure of raising a child comes with a few bumps like colds and bruises, sometimes even temper tantrums (from grownups and children alike), but it's an adventure you'll be grateful for every day.

The rewards are great. The way you pay your children back for all they give you is to parent them well, and any opportunity for fine tuning your parenting skills is in the best interests of your entire family. Let no learning opportunity go unexamined.