Hi everyone

I have two grown children now - but having gone through the whole experience of parenthood to the end, I look back and think about how unprepared I was for the actual reality of it. I am watching my youngest daughter become a mother and I suddenly realised that there is so much I should tell her but that I dont want to frighten her.

For example, it took me 3 years to bond with my older child, and that sometimes I hated him so much, really really hated him. I thought once you had a child that it would all 'kick in' - when it didn't i felt like a freak. Although I now love them both, I admit here that I have a favourite child, you arn't supposed to but I do...

I wonder if I am the only one who has suffered in silence of these 'parenting taboo's'? I had a conversation  with a friend who said she used to never tell anyone that she used to feel close to orgasming sometimes when she breastfed her child because she thought they would think she was a freak or a weirdo.... its funny how there is so much 'how to' advice on parenting, but there are so many areas that no one talks about tooo....

 Anyone else had any similar experiences?

I agree  that it can take a while to bond - for the time being there, when they are babies, you think yep, cute, cuddly but so what - and then they learn to speak and they put sentenses together and you are astounded at how you see their wisdom growing daily.

Is there an idyllic time - probably 5 - 7?  Not sure as have an oldest of 7 myself.... I am just waiting for the 'troubled teens' to start - which i understand gets earlier and earlier.