Apart from being most gratifying, being a parent could also be the most daunting of ‘duties’ since you are never sure whether you are doing the right thing with your children.

To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today- Anonymous

With your first newborn, you are inexperienced, you don’t know what to expect and it suddenly hits you that you are now responsible for this tiny human being that cries when it needs you and calms down when it feels safe in the comfort of your arms.

A baby depends entirely on a parent, be it the mother or father. The first three years are not easy – not that the difficulties of being a parent stop there – but when you think the hardest time is over, then come other milestones, such as the terrible twos, the tantrums, school… together with the trials and tribulations of growing up.

The change being a parent brings about in your life is drastic – it is a change that needs quite a lot of adjusting to – and it’s a never-ending process. Parents learn as they go along and children can be a novelty every day.

This is why, as a parent, you need to work at your relationship with your child, hoping you can help your tiny individual become a responsible and mature adult later in life. For any parent, this would mean having fulfilled a dream.

My late grandmother’s words ring in my ears: “Once a parent always a parent.” All parents worry about how their child will cope when they’re gone, when the child is alone and no longer has their help.

It’s only natural. It’s all about thinking dearly of what matters most to you… and your child will always rank high on this list. Your child is naturally part of you and this special bond is for life.

With these words to ponder upon, I leave you to read the supplement, which features a wide range of topics that should be of interest not only to parents but also to those who are planning to have children.

space@timesofmalta.com