Is parenting difficult? I always say with creativity you can solve each issue. Do we need to pass an exam to be a good parent? In some countries, you say people do. I doubt it will help. If it comes to parenting all you need is some common sense, a dose of humor, self-esteem, and creativity.
We can discuss what makes one a good parent.
As a parent, I can say I did a great job or I sucked at it. In the end, my children are the ones who can label me as a lousy, bad, average, or great parent. They can hate me for being a single mom, look down on me for being poor, be mad at me because I threw their stuff away when they didn't clean up their room or because they had to mow the lawn but that's their decision. You can do a child well but they can not see it, you can do them bad but it can still be loyal and defend you even if your deeds and intentions weren't good and it suffers for its entire life.
I know myself.
I know I cannot be a fulltime mother and I need more, way more as just being someone's mom. It does not feel good, enough for me to do a child's laundry, wipe tears, bottoms, noses, help with homework, and show up at school to talk to mean teachers. I need a life for me and if I am unhappy I can not make my children happy.
I know myself and did and do plenty of things I don't like. I visited attraction parks, made homework, drove my children up and down, and showed up here, there and where ever it's needed but it's not for me. To me, it's a waste of time, a time I spend mainly waiting till it's my turn.
I never felt insecure about being a parent.
I was a teenager and not willing to give my child away for adoption. I sacrificed a lot. Family, friends, and happiness, and more. It was my own choice and I took responsibility for it (command 14). I didn't give in to the "mistake" idea (command 17) the family and society tried to talk me into. I did not ask help (command 12) or the advice of the parents I was surrounded by. People who claimed to know better but not cared about their own children or preferred to be blind to their sadness, feelings, and worries. My own parents to start with. People who never cared.
I am creative although my folks hated creativity.
They looked down on nearly every profession while I believe we all, each person and profession, are a part of the system, the circle of life. I raised my children to be true to themselves (command 10) and invest in their skills (command 4) and to crave what is best for them (command 20). I do not want them to be like me. Forget about their own needs, to be punished for being "selfish". I know they are not and being more selfish is something they need in this world where they are easily abused and manipulated. I taught them to think out of the box (command 13) which means creative thinking. A way of thinking which benefitted me during my years of parenting and the hard days.
Although plenty of parents had a great childhood and great parents I had not. It didn't stop me from being a parent, it didn't make me feel insecure because a bad example is an example too. If you know what you do not want to be like, do not want or like, what makes you feel miserable, it's enough knowledge to not fall into the same behavior and do the opposite.
@Morningstar wrote a post good enough to provide you with 21 topics. This article is based on these topics.
Be creative, my title = command 5 on his list.
I wrote about:
Command 18 - Community freewriting
and
Command 17 - Community self-motivation
Thanks for sharing this article, I don't have a good memories on my childhood too. No, money like a single cents during recess at the school, no food, just spending time sitting inside the classroom alone, no supports like attending meeting for me, attending other occasions especially my graduation. No time to play, no time to go outside. Simply waking up in the morning around 5am, attending classes at the school, after that, straight go home doing some task , during free time just sit in the corner of home no laughing, no talking are allowed. That was my childhood, elementary. The only one thing I have is the presence of my parents, not appreciated much but I love them so much! And I promise that my kids will never experience what I experienced before. Especially giving them love unconditionally.