Not a subject change at all hon, parenting is wonderfully joyful but anyone that tells you it's not tough or occasionally heartbreaking or heart stopping is a liar (or on REALLY good meds). LOL

Let's see, the tough stuff....with infants it's the lack of sleep, the mindless comments people make about how "they" did it (grandparents can be sometimes bad about this), the self-doubt and just plain worry that the little one will suddenly stop breathing or not eat enough. Comes with the territory and they are actually a lot more resiliant than they appear. Oh and if nursing, your boobs get a mind of their own and if you just have to laugh a lot of that off. You also wonder if you will ever have a love life again, you will but it'll be different but that's okay too.

As they grow, the worry when they are first do something without you, the pull to allow them to grow independent of you versus your need to keep them close and always safe in your arms. The scary times when fevers spike, bones snap or blood appears and you just feel so horrible for them and think you're the worst parent on the planet (and you're not of course). I hated getting their shots, even though I know they must have innoculations I hated it every single time. When they don't win a race or a game or a friend snubs them....that just hits your heart hard.

Once they get close to teens it's about sex, drugs, decisions, driving, school, dating, parties, hormones and moods. The first girlfriend/boyfriend that breaks their heart....well you know what it's like to want to kill somebody. It's a tough time to be a parent and all I ever could figure to do was love them when they weren't being very lovable and help them survive despite themselves. I've got one just turning 20 and she made it through, the middle two are 15 and 13 and I'm in praying mode for the next few years LOL. The little 6 year old will be there before I blink.

Flat out scariest for me though is anytime one of my kids has had a surgery (not often thanks be to God). It's a feeling beyond words when they wheel them away and I never took a deep breath until I was in the recovery room with them. It just simply sucks (even small deals like tonsils...still...sucks!).

In the end it's the toughest, most wonderful "job" in the world and you often don't know if you've done it right until it's too late and they are grown. When it gets tough you wonder why you had kids...but then you can't imagine life or yourself without them.