Friends with kids

It's the friends you can call up at four a.m. that matter.

Marlene Dietrich (1901 - 1992)

I am sure that you have those friends who have kids and are always explaining everything to you about how wonderful it is to have kids. At least that is the first comment, it then is followed by one or several negatives about having kids.
I never fully grasped this before but it's is becoming clearer to me know...all our friends with kids have developed the same attention span that their kids have. They can not stay focused on a task any longer than their oldest child can. I suppose it won't be too long before I am dispensing sage advice to new parents myself, after all I enjoy nothing more than carrying on age old traditions.
Our friends with kids have been great about sharing advice, never too pushy, never too preachy, they always act like they are sharing information with us rather than telling us what to do.
Hopefully, when people come to me for advice I can remember how it feels to be told something as opposed to being preached to as opposed to being talked to. There is a definite difference, a notable difference and a profound difference between the three.
Being a new parent requires a lot of skills that will be different and new. I am hoping that I'm going to the right places to get the information and once I have the information I apply it correctly. That is one of my reasons for writing this blog, to reach other parents and to gather advice from them. After all, isn't it the responsibility of society to help raise each child?