Parenting is not easy – at least not for any of the parents I’ve known.
This collection of columns about raising my son is now available. For a free excerpt of the book, click here.
It’s not particularly hard, either. It’s usually somewhere in between. And for the most part, it’s extremely fulfilling and joyous.
As many of us have experienced, It certainly has a way of bringing out our deepest fears at times.
Who hasn’t at some point questioned his or her ability to raise a happy, healthy, well-adjusted child? Isn’t that what we all want for our children?
Who hasn’t wondered if we’re doing the right thing by them or are we being too tough or too lenient. Are we somehow thwarting their development or crushing their spirits when we exert our authority?
From the time my son was six until his wedding seventeen years later, I publicly shared many of my uncertainties as well as triumphs in weekly newspaper columns.
In “The Nathaniel Chronicles,” I pulled together a selection of those columns addressing evergreen issues of parenting. This collection captures my roller-coaster ride through motherhood.
A lot of parents will recognize themselves, regardless of the age of their children now. And perhaps young parents or grandparents taking care of grandchildren will find some inspiration in what they’re doing.
And even non-parents will find loads of humor in these columns. Kids really do say (and do) the darnedest things!
The book is available at Amazon and other book outlets. For a free excerpt from the book, click here.
Jane Self, PhD, was assistant features editor for the Macon Telegraph and features editor for The Tuscaloosa News. She received her master's degree in secondary education from Louisiana State University in New Orleans and her PhD in education administration from the University of Alabama. 
Jane Self was features editor at The Tuscaloosa News when the Fallen Warriors series began. Although she left the paper, she continued to write these profiles on a freelance basis for The News until the series was stopped in May 2009. Jane has since updated and published them as an E-book. 
In 1991 "60 Minutes" aired a story that attempted to destroy the life and work of EST founder Werner Erhard. Award-winning journalist Jane Self suspected there was more to these allegations than being reported. She discovered an amazing plot of espionage, conspiracy, and sabotage. 