Parenting is difficult When you are expecting cooing and sweet smiles, you get stinky diapers and tantrums. When you imagine cuddling up with a book, you get siblings bopping each other on the bean. And when you finally get them to bed, you look around and realize the dishes are stacked to the ceiling, the dirty clothes are overflowing the laundry basket, and you can't even remember what color the rug is under all the toys. And then that sweet voice calls "I need a drink " But you are not alone There is help for tired parents. After many years as mother, step-mother, grandmother, and primary school teacher, I started writing down some of the stories, thoughts, questions, and mistakes I had gathered over the years in a series of articles for a local newspaper. This is a collection of those articles. So why should you read them? Because parents needs someone in their corner, giving them a pat on the back, wiping the sweat off of their brows, and sending them back into the ring to care for those sometimes wonderful, sometimes wacky, sometimes, "Oh why did we ever have these" kids who make parent's lives so interesting. I hope these stories hold you up - or at least make you laugh - and carry you into the wonderful world of parenting.