From the time I saw the double line on the pregnancy test, I knew my life was about to change drastically. Becoming a parent is the most complicated yet rewarding job there is. This job is mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting. All of the education and experience in the world could never prepare me for the ups and downs of becoming a mother. There is no textbook that can teach a person how to be a good mother. It is learned from experience, and experience comes with age.
             Becoming a mother is mentally exhausting. For once, I am not only responsible for me, but also for a new little human being. This child will learn all about values, morals and respect from me. I am put on a pedestal now. I must learn to act in a respectable way that my child can follow. I must learn to behave as though I would want my child to behave, give him justifiable discipline and, at the same time, let him be his own person.
             Becoming a parent is not only mentally exhausting; it is physically exhausting as well. This little person is physically dependent on me for all of his basic needs in order to live. I must be there to meet those needs, day or night. If he is sick all night, I must be there to take care of him and still be coherent enough to do all of the daily tasks. The dishes are piled in the sink higher than ever, the hamper filled with dirty laundry never comes to an end. Becoming a parent is much more physically demanding than any job I have ever been paid to do.
             In addition to taking a toll on me physically and mentally, parenting has taken an even greater toll on me emotionally. Emotions can get out of control, especially after having two children. There just aren't enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done. Between a husband and two children that need to be stimulated and cared for, after awhile it makes me turn into an old battle-ax. Things that never bothered me before can make me an emo...