Beginning

Dear Kids,

I'm still new at this parenting thing (< 2 years in), and as I go I'm realizing that it's not getting any easier. So since you may look back on this venture and wonder what on earth I was thinking, I thought the best way to begin would be to explain why I feel the need to do this in the first place.

First, I hope this will be a useful record of what I am thinking. There are days when I wonder that about myself, so maybe this way we'll all be able to figure out what happened. But also, I'm keenly aware that there's no way I'm going to be able to remember everything I want to tell you. Everything from cute things you said or did, the number of times I got supremely annoyed at you, or just words of wisdom I want to pass on - there's no chance that my brain can hold it all. So here you go - all of that in one big everlasting gobstopper for your personal consumption.

So then why share all this with anyone & everyone who cares to read it? Well, because I'm also learning that parenting is a lonely journey sometimes. It's so easy to assume that everyone else has it all figured out and that you're the only one struggling to get out of your pajamas by dinner time. But you know what? You're never alone. Really. There is always someone out there somewhere who knows what it's like, who has been there before. (There's my first piece of wisdom by the way.) By making this all public I'm hoping that I'll find other parents out there who can reassure me that I'm not crazy after all, and I'm also hoping that others will get that same reassurance from me.

I certainly don't have all of the answers. In fact I don't believe that's even possible. Instead I give you this - my process, my journey, my story. Welcome aboard little ones. It's going to be a bumpy ride, but I'll be there with you the whole way.

Love always,

Mama