if you are answering no to this question than you are absolutely correct!  i'm not talking about your newborn. i'm talking about once your infant gets a bit older and is over any colic phase, if you were one of the unfortunate few who were given this challenge!  the interesting thing is, the answer should be 'no' for everyone!  it's 'no' if you have a baby who doesn't sleep, cries all the time, along with many other issues.  it's 'no' if you have toddlers or kids who don't listen, behave or whom are constantly throwing tantrums spiralling out of control, and of course many other issues that go along with these.  the interesting thing is for those who answered 'no' but don't have any of the above issues.  the reason these people are answering 'no' is because they didn't just get the luck of the draw and were miraculously granted a so-called "good" baby! this is not the case.  the stork didn't just drop them a good one! they put in lots of hard work, time and commitment to their children to help mold them into the human being they are!  therefore you can see where i am going with this post.  your baby, toddler, kids are good because you parented them to be just so.  on the other hand, if they are not so good, than somewhere along the way you may have missed something. this is not a slap in the face to anyone.  rather it's a wake-up call that it doesn't have to be this way! no parent is perfect!  i myself included!  we all do things we sometimes wish we hadn't or realize we should have done something that we didn't.  parenting is full of regrets and rewards.  when you regret as a parent than you know you care.  it's those who don't have heart to analyze what they have done and feel no remorse or care for situations that may have come about during their journey of parenting.  for those of you who find yourself admiring the behaviour of someone else's kids and wish your child would demonstrate just a few of those behaviours...there is hope!  everything is fixable and everything can be changed!  that's what's so glorious about being human.  we all make mistakes but it's how we deal with them is the true test.  we have the power to take hold of the situation and make a change.  as a parent i am constantly asking my friends, family and those around me about their parenting styles and how they operate day to day with their kids.  it interests me, as we can always learn from others.  it's amazing the ideas that other parents come up with in terms of their parenting styles, that you never thought of!  i also love to read books and articles to get ideas and information.  what i am saying is that you can always learn from others to help you make changes and turn around a issue that you may be struggling with! if you have a well-behaved baby/child than congratulations to you on the hard work you have put in up until now.  it is an ongoing process and a tiring one at that!  the beauty is, that it's a heck of lot less tiring to put the work in up front and create well behaved kids than it is to constantly fight the battles day in and day out.  that is exhaustion at it's finest and something i don't want to do!  i have issues with my kids.  they, like us, are not perfect.  we have the occassional tantrum from my recently turned 3 year old, but the key word here is, occassional.  i can honestly say that my 10 month old hasn't shed a tear in months! each day is a joy for me as a mommy!  we have a system in place and have remained consistent with our expectations and consequences since the beginning.  children love routine, schedules and order!  children aim to please you. so teach them how!   teach them your expectations up front and remain consistent with your consequences, 100% of the time and you will notice how at ease your child will be.  if you want help to change something in your household, than talk with others around you on ways to tweak your parenting.  see what they do if you find you are having issues that need to be addressed!  whether it's a baby that doesn't sleep, an over tired child, tantrums around the clock, needing a discipline system, etc. simply take charge and dive in!  there is no better day than today to start making a change. click here to subscribe to mommy secrets!!