- I didn't feel connected to my son until he was nine months old. At which time I traveled for work and heard another baby cry-- this induced sudden anxiety in

- I didn't feel connected to my son until he was nine months old. At which time I traveled for work and heard another baby cry-- this induced sudden anxiety in me that required me to call home immediately. I puzzled at this until I realized I had developed a paternal instinct. This grew over time. My 28 year-old lives with his wife in my home and I'm glad of it. Moral: don't worry if the birth of your child is not "the greatest day of your life" because it was definitely not for me. - Becoming a parent is like joining a monastery. Really. You are cut off from your friends. Your life becomes a series of chores in devotion to a higher being. It is exhausting and nobody tells you this beforehand for some reason. - We never let our child be alone in a room, crying. I realize that there are strong feelings about this, but we chose "attachment parenting" and are happy with it. It's possible that it led to our son having little interest in having adventures in the wide world. It's hard to know what's right, but this felt right. - Growing a child is like growing a plant of an unknown species. You don't know if they need more water or less; more sunlight or less. You may be an oak tree, but the child may be a rose bush. So you just have to listen and try things. - I interacted with my son on the theory that anything I say to him when he is three, he will remember when he is thirty. So I always spoke to him with respect. - Never argue with a toddler about how its time to get in the car. When they scream "no" just wait 45 seconds and ask again. The answer will turn to yes within a couple of minutes with no arguing or yelling needed. - No matter how it looks, your child is always watching you. If he resists being taught (as mine did), just do things around him that he can witness. - My son resisted learning how to read and write. But when we was twelve he responded to a one paragraph writing assignment by writing 30,000 words (in one big paragraph). He wrote and published a novel before he was 21. So, be patient. - This is how hard it is to be a mother: my wife once floated the idea of putting my infant son up for adoption. I realized she was suffering from extreme exhaustion and post-natal depression and we dealt with that. But, geez, that's how hard it is. Sometimes you just feel you can't go on unless you get a break.