Danielle

Parenting is one of those things in life, where if one honestly knew what it would be like, only a fraction would sign up. Granted, things need to be this way in order for humans to avoid extinction, but for those of us who are already in the game and wondering if we're athletic enough for this sport, I offer a few words of encouragement. Oprah recently did a segment about a family who adopted an 8-year-old girl who had the mental capacity of an 18-month-old because of neglect. She drank from a bottle, wouldn't interact with anyone, couldn't speak, and wore a diaper. What shocked me is that she still played like a baby, on her back grabbing her feet with bent knees to the side. Not being cuddled, talked to, sung to, tickled and played with caused serious damage in her brain's development. So the fact that you play with your kids, that you snuggle your baby and sing to your children should give you strength that you're doing something right. And as the saying goes, "When you concentrate on what's right, it gives you energy to fix what's wrong."