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Parent24 Editor, Scott Dunlop
Every story has a beginning, middle and an end (as my English teachers drummed into my head), and this week we have been privileged to be part of our colleague Zayaan’s beginning as she becomes a first-time mom! You’d think that all of us at Parent24 are experts at parenting, but each child is different, each parent different- much like characters in a book- so we’re all learning, too.
There’s no shortage of advice offered by friends and family to new parents. Some of it gentle, subtle and helpful, and some of it brutal and very odd. It’s not possible to create a mash-up of two parenting experiences- they’ll never be the same. It would be like taking Snow White and throwing her into the Cinderella story. She may have lots of great tips on managing a household of dwarfs, but not too many ideas about coping with difficult step-sisters.
The parenting story is too complex and multi-layered to analyse at one level. Pregnancy and birth are far removed from nursing a child through school and the teenage years. As different as romance novels are from horror books. It’s possible to have the chapters blur into each other, too, different genres within the same sentence: Just when everything is laughter and roses, life throws in a curveball and it feels as though you’re fighting for your very existence.
Anyway, we’re thrilled to be able to welcome this latest tiny addition to the Parent24 story, and can’t wait to hear all of Zayaan’s tales when she returns. We’re sure she and her husband will be legendary parents!
We wish her the same thing we wish for all of you out there writing your own stories: That you’d find calm in the storms, provision in tough times and peace in the home. Above all, that parenting would be an epic tale of joy and love.
Your Parent24 family
Do you have any tips for parents at any stage of life? Why not share them with us and win a R250 Kalahari.com voucher! Email chatback@parent.com.
There’s no shortage of advice offered by friends and family to new parents. Some of it gentle, subtle and helpful, and some of it brutal and very odd. It’s not possible to create a mash-up of two parenting experiences- they’ll never be the same. It would be like taking Snow White and throwing her into the Cinderella story. She may have lots of great tips on managing a household of dwarfs, but not too many ideas about coping with difficult step-sisters.
The parenting story is too complex and multi-layered to analyse at one level. Pregnancy and birth are far removed from nursing a child through school and the teenage years. As different as romance novels are from horror books. It’s possible to have the chapters blur into each other, too, different genres within the same sentence: Just when everything is laughter and roses, life throws in a curveball and it feels as though you’re fighting for your very existence.
Anyway, we’re thrilled to be able to welcome this latest tiny addition to the Parent24 story, and can’t wait to hear all of Zayaan’s tales when she returns. We’re sure she and her husband will be legendary parents!
We wish her the same thing we wish for all of you out there writing your own stories: That you’d find calm in the storms, provision in tough times and peace in the home. Above all, that parenting would be an epic tale of joy and love.
Your Parent24 family
Do you have any tips for parents at any stage of life? Why not share them with us and win a R250 Kalahari.com voucher! Email chatback@parent.com.
