Certified Parents???

We finished our childbirth classes last night. (A big thanks to my friend Nicole. She was an awesome teacher, kept class fun and interesting, and taught us a lot!) At the end of the class we recieved a certificate/diploma stating that we had completed the course. Does that make us certified parents now?

I was thinking during the last class that parenting seems to be a "learn as you go" experience. Obviously with the first kid you don't really know what you're doing. The second kid is slightly better because you at least have an idea of what it's like to raise a kid. But it's only slightly better because this kid will be different from the first and what worked with the first kid might not work with the second. So, you still have not mastered parenting. The third kid is even better, but again, different from the first two so you're still learning as you go. And so on and so forth with however many children grace your presence.

My conclusion? There's no such thing as a perfect parent. You can't possibly know what to do in every situation with every child because each situation and child is different. But, you can learn from mistakes, improve, and hopefully raise your kids the best way you know how. I'm sure there will be plenty of times when I will feel that I have failed as a parent. Hopefully I will remember that parenting is not a pass/fail thing. It's more of a "give it your best shot, learn as you go, and love with all you are" thing.

I'm really glad we took the class. I feel more prepared now. Hopefully Mitch will remember everything we learned about labor and delivery because I know I'll forget it all once I start feeling pain. Ha,ha. 5 weeks and 2 days to go (not that I'm counting or anything ... )