Keep your sense of humor handy at all times. It will come in useful when the baby has spat up on your office clothes, the older one has missed the school-bus, the husband wants to know what's for dinner given the refrigerator has run empty and the nanny has taken the day off.
Accept that the child will know that you love her, irrespective of the choices you make. You can choose to stay at home, work from home, go to work part-time or chase that CEO's chair with all your might, the child will sense that he/she is priority.
Don’t let guilt get the better of you. Of course you feel it, we all do. Whether it’s taking an extra ten minutes to get dressed or spending some time at the gym, a parent's lot is to worry about whether it is at the expense of the child. I don’t think there is a device made yet that can drain parents of guilt. But buying the child another toy will not resolve it.
Give your child the best of you. Understand the best aspects of your personality and spend the time and effort to pass them on to your child. If you are a voracious reader, read comics and simple stories to him. If you could have been a leading artist (or better still, are), splash about colors with the child.
Set limits. It's surprising how early they start to understand the difference between what is acceptable or and not. Prevent them from growing into obnoxious adults. For the world’s sake.
Set examples. If you cannot practice it yourself, forget about teaching it to the child. It is a little difficult to deny junior an extra chocolate when you have trouble not buying a new designer watch for no special reason.
Set them free. It does not matter how fabulous you are. Your child still needs the freedom to become his or her own person. The road to parenting is fraught with challenges for control freaks.
Realize that your time together is limited. Empty-nesters are always left wondering where the time went. Try not to spend too much of it fighting and arguing.
Have fun with them. Once in a while, stripped of responsibility, look at your children as people and be amazed at what fantastic, interesting people they are.
Love them with all your might. Nobody said it was going to be easy but if there is one investment worth nurturing in life, this is it.
