Hi, Jennifer. I like your essay about parenting a human. It takes nine months to bear a child, and the mother's body is never the same. If that does not send a message that the rest WILL NOT be easy, I'm not sure what will. Human beings are complicated creatures who possess the power to save and destroy the world. We each possess the power to achieve greatness by contributing to society. Yet the instincts and senses that come with our birth are the rudimentary biological functions endowed to all living creatures - that is the tools necessary to survive. Good parenting is suppose to hone these survival skills into the fundamental principles of what it means to succeed in complicated world and become responsible and productive offspring who display kindness and humanity. It's not easy to teach and to monitor. We see the failures and success in our daily lives. There are many paths open to every person, but we need direction; otherwise it is possible to be ruled by our instincts and senses. The animal kingdom is governed this way. Rising above is the difficult part and that rests with parents who will offer the love, support, and sacrifice to foster good people. But to think it is an easy enterprise is a fool's game.