Becoming a Parent
By Rick Gostovich 

The very first time I had my newborn son, I knew that I was in for an adventure. I also
knew that this adventure was going to be filled with highs and lows and I knew that
when I sat back and thought about those years, I would look back fondly, even when
there was a low.

It was something amazing to hold his small body in my hands and he looked at me with
all the wisdom that were captured in those small eyes, which barely saw my face, let
alone the world around us. I was love struck and I swore at that moment that I would do
the best I could as a parent.

For many new parents, the first moment that they hold their child can be something that
they will never forget. They feel elation, excitement and all of that is underlined with
fear. They wonder if they have what it takes to be a parent and all the doubts that they
felt those few months during the pregnancy are now compounded with a living,
breathing person to care for.

But somehow, people learn how to navigate the waters of being a new parent and it
becomes a wonderful time with your new infant.

While this book is about getting your kids to listen and infants are not really going to
listen, I feel that it is important to talk about the first few days, months and year of your
child’s life. This is the year when you realize that you are a parent and even more, you
realize what that one little word means; and usually it means much more than we ever
realized.

As many experts in Early Childhood Education and Development will say, ‘the first five
years of your child’s life is the most important.’ We have heard the statistics, read the
studies and have drowned in a sea of information about the proper food to feed our
children, the right activities to boost brain development and the best crafts that build
fine motor skills.