What it's like raising children

Raising children is one of the hardest jobs in the world. You don't work eight hours a day and the day ends. You don't work five days a week and get weekends off. This is a full time job that doesn't generate a paycheck. When your children are infants and toddlers you enjoy them. But often you say "I can't wait till they grow up.

Then they approach the school years. Ages five to 12. Now you have school, homework and after school activities too keep you busy. Your day never seems to end. Eventually when your head hits the pillow at night; you fall asleep from exhaustion.

Here comes the teenage years when their hormones are out of control. For me these were the hardest years. Your teenage children are faced with peer pressure, difficult subjects in school, endless hours of homework. There is also the bad influences they must face. Peer pressure, drugs, alcohol and sexual activity. You trust them and hope you've brought them up to make the right decisions during this difficult time. However, you can't be with them 24//7. Sometimes they make bad choices that lead them down a path that causes barriers and obstacles in their growing path of life.

Do you remember this commercial that came on many years ago around 10 pm? It would play over and over every hour. I do. Although my children were to check in with their father and I, did I really know where they were? I remember one time when my daughter was 15 she asked to sleep over a friends house. I said yes as long as one of the friends parents called me. Well a parent did call me and I said yes. I thought I was speaking to her friends mother. Instead I was speaking to an older friend of my daughters. Oh how clever these teenagers are. Later on I found out it was an older friend and my daughter was at a house party drinking. The parents were not home. So trust and honesty is vital to your relationship with your teenager. However, so is being a parent who must do whatever you can to know who they are with and where they are at all times. This means checking in on them not just once, but several times.

My children are grown adults now with children of their own. I am the proud grandmother to three beautiful granddaughters. It's not easy raising children today compared to when I was a parent. Things are worse and trouble is brewing around every corner. I can only hope that my children learned from their own mistakes and take that knowledge into consideration when raising my grandchildren. It's the old saying "You learn from your mistakes". Of course my own children cannot be there 24/7. If they use their knowledge of growing up, hopefully they can keep my grandchildren on the right path to life. Honesty and the ability to come to their parents with anything, no matter how bad is important. Open communication is vital, especially during the teenage years. Know who their friends are. Keep them close to home. Have their friends come to your house. Know the parents of their friends. Let them know how important the family unit is, education and saying no to drugs, alcohol and sexual activity is okay. Talk to them about peer pressure and bullying and how to combat these obstacles in life. Hopefully they will listen to your advice and grow up to be wonderful, intelligent, family oriented individuals.

Being a grandparent is so much fun. I have them over to play with. Feed them ice cream and candy at night. I don't have to discipline them. No that's not my job. That's the parents job. After the visit is over, they go home. My granddaughters are not teenagers yet. Two are still young and the other approaching the teenage years. They talk to grandma and yes listen to me as well. I know my children are going to experience some of the obstacles in raising children. I can only hope that they instill upon their children the values and beliefs I did upon them. However, it is scary today because of the elements of society lurking around the corner. Just ready to make our new generation fall down the wrong path. As a grandparent I pray as my granddaughters grow up they will avoid temptation and peer pressure. I look forward to seeing my granddaughters grow up to be wonderful, family oriented, educated and well balanced individuals. This is something that all parents and grandparents wish for. Oh one last note..."Being a grandparent is so much more rewarding and fun then being a parent". "Do you agree?"