To raise great kids that respect authority and do not cause a lot of trouble a parent does need to be somewhat strict but not overly strict.
You should be partially strict with your kids as a parent to ensure they do what they are told and know who is in charge.
Some parents now are not strict enough or let their kids get away with things they should not and that should not be the way it is.
In my house my son who is 10 years old now knows who is in charge and I do not let him get away with anything.
If he does something wrong I tell him sternly that what he did was wrong and he gets grounded or sent to his room and if what he did wrong was serious enough he gets a spanking with my belt.
I was spanked as a child when I did wrong and I'm glad I was spanked because it made me into a good person today.
Being too strict though can lead to the kid actually doing worse things and rebelling more against you but being somewhat strict is needed.
The hardest part about being a parent is the stress and responsibility it takes to be a parent.
Being a parent is hard work and there's nothing easy about being a parent.
There's always or nearly always constant stress about either finances, making sure your kid is healthy, okay and watching over the kid.
When your kid is under 5 years old you really have to watch them closely as they can take off away from you fast.
I was always worried that my own son who's 10 now would dart off away from me and get kidnapped or run over by a car etc when he was under 5.
He did take off from me a few times and was gone for 3 hours until we found him.
That was a big worry and I found out myself how much I loved and still love him when he went missing.
I was stressed out and really worried about him and I was so relieved when he was found safe.
Dealing with tantrums from toddlers and even kids as old as age 5 or 6, 7 and even 8 years old and sometimes older can be stressful.
My own son would throw a fit in a store at age 5 years old when he wanted something he couldn't get.
He got a spanking in the store for that.
Becoming a parent can make you happy but it can also make you miserable.
That is if you are actually ready to become a parent and have kids and really want kids.
Kids are lovely even though they can drive you crazy at times and sometimes you need to get away from them for awhile.
But they can bring you lots of joy and make you happy.
I became a parent 10 years ago for the first time and at first I thought I made a mistake because I had a crying baby that I thought I could not deal with and then as the baby boy got older he became much more enjoyable.
As he got to 7 and 8 months old and a year old he started smiling a lot which made me smile as well.
I used to be depressed more but when I had my cute little boy he made my depression disappear for at least the time he was a cute baby.
He's not as cute now but he still has some of his cuteness at 10 years old.
I love him dearly and now don't regret having him.
Kids can bring a lot of joy but they are a pain sometimes and also a lot of hard work.
It's okay to not want to have kids because being a parent is not for everyone.
Kids can both make you miserable and also make you happy.
My own son who's 10 now made and still makes me miserable at times but sometimes he also makes me happy.