I’ve got kids, two living and one deceased, and with all the ups and downs I still don’t know a damn thing about parenting.  Well, I know two things, actually.  First, that the only thing you can do is try to be the best parent that you can to your own kids.  Nobody can tell you how to do it and nothing prepares you until you are already neck-deep in child.  Second, that the one thing you need to do is make sure your kids never question whether you love them or not.  They’ll hate a lot of your decisions, you’ll make a ton of mistakes, but it will all work out as long as they never feel unloved.  Even my 4.5 year old knows that just because I tell her I’m furious or disappointed or that I cannot listen to another word she has to say (and the talking never ends at that age), her mother and I will always love her and her siblings very much.

Love is the only thing I can guarantee that they’ll get from me.