Challenges known to parenting !

I've always wanted children, as far back as I can remember.  I wanted to be a young parent, so you can understand my rush to get married quickly.  Luckily that didn't come to difficult to me , since I was still dating my high school sweetheart 4 years out of high school when we started planning our wedding.  When we decided to start trying it was rather difficult to get pregnant.  When it finally happend, it was such a miracle and blessing.  My heart wasn't mine anymore, it belonged to my new lil baby.  Shes now 6 !  Then I decided it was time to have another one, the first was perfect.  I couldn't believe how all the love I felt for my first born was felt once again for my second born.  As a parent you always wonder " How can I love another child the way I love my first?"  It's so possible and can't be explained.  We tried and with assistance from modern day medicine, we were honored with another lil life to add to our family.  The second one was trouble from the second the decision was made to present day.  He's now 4 !  We love them too pieces !
I"ll be the first to admit that my children really are my pride and joy ! I love them to the moon and back, I would do everything in my power to protect them and do.  I want them to be successful at all they do and never lack the ambition to try (like I did growing up).  They inspire me daily to be a lil less serious and see the world through their eyes, to laugh more and be more fun.  Lately my son has been tryin our patience, what am I saying for the past year he's been doing this.  I was raised with discipline and believe in it, but have tried many other things as well to get him to behave.  Kylie rarely acted like the way he does.  He talks back constantly and is unruly.  I do spank ! I do time out ! I take things away ! Yes he's only 4, but by now he should know how to act and have some respect, especially when it's drilled into him on daily basis.  When he is told repeatedly to "stop whining and have manners" and does not listen, he must be punished.  It's hard to be a parent and follow through with constant discipline.  I do NOT like yelling and spanking, sometimes it doesn't work.  But neither does taking stuff away, time outs, going straight to bed, talking to him on his level, eye to eye discussions !  he continues to try me, every day.  I let him throw a fit so that I can collect myself, then when it's just more than enough, I discipline.  I used to be that mom that said " my kids will never act like that one", HA yeah I guess that's why I'm getting it ten fold.  "Brush your teeth", and he sits there looking at me whining and doesn't brush, what do you do ?  "Eat your food or your tummy will be hurting", he again looks at me and doesn't eat, what do you do? We tell him to get down from the table, get ready for a bath cause you're going to bed.  I hate sending him to bed with little food in his tummy, that's horrible, but he doesn't eat ! WHAT DO YOU DO?  He's not like this for others, just his parents !
Kylie is better, she trys to help us with him.  Sometimes, he listens to her ! She is the best big sister to him, I'm so proud.  She is easier even though she does have her moments of pure hatefulness and insanity, which usually happens when we are helping her with homework.  I took her ipod away because she failed a test.  She brought home a 100 on two tests, I thought it was wonderful till she showed me a bad grade on another.  She knows what she's doing and try's to do better.  I don't want her to be a slacker and not do her best.  She knows this...
  Parenting is hard, I"m no expert that is for sure !  I guess we have to just try our best and pray we do something right.  It's the hardest job ever and like others say, the most rewarding. I do not baby my kids nor have I ever.  The more independent they learn to be the better off they'll be in their futures is what I believe.  If you baby your children you teach them that someone will always be there to take care of it all for them.  How is that teaching them to be a good and independent adult ?  Yes I know they are just kids, but it all starts now !  I can't get them a job, I can't take their tests, I can't do all of their dirty work for them.  I can be there for them and help them, guide them but I can't make their decisions for them, no matter how badly I would like to.  I love my kids more than life itself.  They are always first and foremost in my life.  Everything I do is for them, they come before my wants and needs....
You will never know love more in life than you do when you're a parent !  You will never know trials and tribulations more until you're a parent! You will never know what it's like to worry and go insane more than you do when you're a parent !  You will never know how much a miracle God's love is till you are handed your baby for the first time !  You never know unconditional love till your child hugs you, tears in her / his eyes after you've just had to discipline them & you feel your heart break for doing this, but they still say "I love you mommy" !  You will never know how proud you can be till your child learns something new or reads you a book !  You will never know the pain and agony of an illness until you are taking care of your sick child and you can't do anything to make it all go away right now !  You'll just never know ........

Life as I know it is .....harder and more exhilerating  at the same time, as a parent !