I read somewhere that parenting is not for the faint of heart. The glow of pregnancy and the wondrous anticipation of a new baby are in stark contrast to the realities of labor and delivery and caring for a newborn. Friends and relatives may tell you how tired you will be after baby arrives, how much your boobs will hurt, how much a baby cries, how difficult and exhausting it will be to leave the house. Before that baby arrives, it just all sounds too unbelievable.

Parents must, well frankly, get some guts. No one will care for and love your child like you do. You are that child’s number one advocate. You must be calm and brave during immunizations, high fevers, disagreements with day care providers and long sleepless nights. You are the only one to convince the nurse on the other end of the phone that yes, your child DOES need to be seen by the doctor. You may have to listen to your child cry as they struggle to learn how to sleep independently. And, you must work really hard to hold it together as you hold down your toddler so their face can be stitched after an encounter with a kitchen countertop.

Recently I flew over rough terrain in a tiny airplane and a helicopter. For me, that took some guts. And even though I was told how tough it would be to send a child off to college, I had no idea how difficult and how much parental intestinal fortitude that would require. But watching four wonderful individuals find their strength and their stride has been more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.