Bringing up children

There are many ways to bring up a child.Today's mother and father are beyond a doubt different from those of our time. I was born in the forties and was 4 to 5 years old during the Japanese Occupation and was brought up on tapioca or ubi kayu and I believe none the worse for it.My mum did not have to bother much about my growing up, I ate whatever was provided and more importantly I guess I was brought up in the right environment where freedom and life's pressures were generally absent. I dont recollect when my parents ever quarrel because of me and the home atmosphere was always one of harmony.Though mum was very strict with us she was never unreasonable. Today when I watch parents bringing up their children (Watching from the sideline as we the olden era parents are considered not smart enough ) I cant help but notice what bringing up a child is doing to the parents.Granted every parent would want to see the child grow up "properly " but bringing up a child should never be at the expense of one's own well being.A child is supposed to bring joy , meaning and fulfillment to a marriage but if the child's impact is negative then we need to take a step back and have a good look at ourselves.Have we changed because of the stress of bringing up the child? Have a good look at what we were and what we have become and ask ourselves have we been able to cope with the child's upbringing ? Parents today have to balance their time between work and child care.Those who are fortunate to have their parents around need not worry about cooking, washing and other housework.The human cycle has been going on for ages and the fact that children grow up is a natural process and its inevitability is never doubted.The question is how to bring up the child ? Pampered, protected , left alone or whatever ? It is a universal fact that parents have to bring up their children in a way that is acceptable.We often see parents showing off to others what their children can do.This is natural cos every parent is proud of their children but looking at this from another point of view....what has our effort in bringing up our children done to us ? Has our personality changed ? Have we changed ? For the better or for the worse ? Are we coping ? If not then we have to take a good look at ourselves and do a bit of self appraisal. Life is about balance and coping with all kinds of challenges.Bringing up children is one of our biggest challenges and how we handle this is testimony of what kind of person we are .If we change our entire personality , not for the better but for worse then we need a second look at ourselves.