Tips from the Trenches: A Guide to Practical Parenting

For anyone who knows me, you've probably heard me say these words over and over again. It's the closest thing I have to a parenting philosophy and it is as useful as any other advice I might be tempted to offer as I've found that usually parents who seem to be asking for advice are mostly asking for some empathy. This also covers that need as well.

Mostly, I use this phrase to talk myself through the trials and tribulations of Parenting 201. "It's only temporary" is a way to sustain myself when the vomiting starts, the whining crescendos, the tempers flare, the teeth are bared, or the homework battle begins.

But it is also a way to help me stop and smell the roses as well because "it's only temporary" is true for the good stuff as well. The precious moments of our children's lives that we will rarely, if ever, see again. The day the first tooth pops through. The day she goes to the potty all by herself with such pride. The day he draws his first picture of his family. The hugs and "I love you"s of early childhood are also temporary as they will eventually give way to the uncontrollable sullenness of adolescence and the customary distance of adulthood.

So, I offer this phrase up to you as you confront both the struggles and joys of parenting. It can be a comfort and a sorrow, but it can help us see it for what it really is....life.