Parenthood is probably one of the most wonderful, difficult, rewarding, thankless, exciting, terrifying, satisfying, amazing jobs on earth. It is full of ups and downs and all kinds of conflicting emotions and experiences. Can it be described using four letter words? I think so:

1. Open – Being a parent opens you up to a plethora of experiences. There will be times of great joy and great sorrow; proud moments and embarrassing ones; times of certainty and times of questioning. Parents must be open to allow in all that awaits them on the journey.
2. Fair – Parenthood helps develop one’s sense of fairness. You realize that even when you think you are being fair your children may not think so. You learn to accept and compromise and you learn resolve to stand firm. You also learn the timing for each.
3. Joys – It’s a roller coaster of emotions but the joys of being a parent make it worth the ride. There are so many wonderful moments that one holds onto in memories. It’s the joys of parenthood that can pull you through tough times. Listening to your baby laugh is a simple pleasure that when remembered can put a smile on your face in a most unexpected moment.
4. Full – On every level a parent is full: full of anticipation; full of questions; full of dreams and hopes; at times full of anxiety and at other times full of happiness.
5. Hope – Becoming a parent means putting hope in the world. You hope your child will have a bright future and many parents hope their child will make a positive impact on the world; or at least their little part of it.
6. Hard – Unfortunately children do not come with instruction manuals. However, there are all kinds of resources out there to help figure out how to get this tiny little baby up to adulthood. Unfortunately many of those resources are at odds with one another so parents have to figure out what’s going to work for their particular situation. Then again, no one ever said parenthood was going to be easy!
7. Long – Parenthood lasts a long time. Once you are a parent, there is a piece of you out in the world and no mater how old you get you always remain connected and therefore concerned about the welfare of your child.
8. Woes – The woes of parenthood can be short lived and temporary or last a lifetime. It would be nice to think of parenthood as always nice and rosy, but it doesn’t work that way. Our children grow up to make their own decisions and sometimes those decisions can have costly consequences. By the same token, sometimes as parents we make decisions that we later regret.
9. Life – Someone once said that to have children is to begin your own journey of immortality. Just as each of us are the result of our ancestors, when we become parents we expand our own lives into the future – providing our children outlive us and their memories of us are worth carrying forward.
10. Love – Meeting that baby for the first time opens up floodgates of love that you didn’t even know were possible. As your baby grows so does your love and sometimes even the hardest hearts become soft with love for a child.

Parenting isn’t an easy thing and it’s not for the weak-willed. It’s been said that it’s the one thing we don’t need a license to do, but we should. It can be the most rewarding job you will ever have, especially if you are willing to put in the time and sacrifice that the job calls for.

If you hand a kid a banana or a whole apple for a snack, you’ll usually find it under the sofa later; after they’ve eaten the bag of Cheetos. Make fruit fun and delicious, instead of boring. Fruit is the ultimate snack food. It’s sweet, full of great flavor, and mostly portable. No matter what fruit you have on hand, there is always a way to make it into a tasty, fun snack your kids will love.

1. Bananas – Bananas are a very flexible fruit. The variety of ways to serve them is practically never ending. Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate are a fun Summer treat. Bananas and peanut butter are always a favorite. Banana splits, banana and raisins, even banana and Cheerios are all kid-friendly ways of increasing potassium levels.
2. Apples – Caramel and candied apples are a Fall staple. Stewed apples, sweetened with honey or just a touch of sugar and cinnamon are sure to warm tummies on a cold Winter evening. Apples with peanut butter and raisins, cut into ‘fries’, or dipped in chocolate are all delicious. Homemade apple sauce is easy to make, and the kids can help. Apples are full of vitamins and fiber.
3. Oranges – The ultimate portable snack, oranges last forever in the crisper and are mess-free in lunch kits. Tangerines are especially easy for kids to peel. Best of all, the orange skin is full of naturally skin-softening oils and pleasantly scented. Tangerines also have the advantage in being completely segmented, so kids get a perfect bite-sized section every time. Little boys love to ‘dissect’ their oranges, and every kid loves playing with their food. Full of vitamin C, oranges are great for preventing rickets. Canned mandarin oranges go great in salads and stir-fry, naturally sweetening it for picky eaters.
4. Grapes – Every try a frozen grape? All the fun of grape popsicles with none of the mess, frozen grapes are easy to eat and taste great. You can also have ‘iced’ grapes by dampening them and sprinkling them lightly with sugar. The sugar sticks like ice crystals and makes for a beautiful, healthy snack. Try ‘mini-grapes’ or champagne grapes for a change. Kids love to eat the teeny tiny grapes and they have the same great nutrition as the larger ones.
5. Kiwi – The ‘fuzzy’ fruit, kids love this surprising fruit import. It’s sweet but sour, just like kids love. Plus, it’s got more vitamin C than even oranges and every part is edible, though I wouldn’t recommend snacking on the furry skin. The bright green color can liven up any dish, and if you mix it with sliced apples and bananas, the high acid content will keep them from turning brown.
6. Melons – Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are all sweet fiber sources. Watermelon is a low-calorie treat that can be eaten at room temperature or cold. It’s full of water, hence the name, so it is great for hydration. It also has lost of fiber and vitamins without high sugar content. Cantaloupe and honeydew have distinctive flavors that not all kids will love, but they’re full of vitamins and are soft enough for even little ones to happily gum. Turn it into melon balls and watch the kids munch away.
7. Berries – Berries are a huge Summer hit, and they are best during that season. Kids can eat berries and cherries by the handful, and they’re full of all kinds of vitamins that are hard to find elsewhere. They’re also full of antioxidants. During the off-season, buy frozen berries and mix them in with the oatmeal in the mornings for a healthy breakfast kids will love. Berry milkshakes and berries with yogurt are also great ways to get kids into fruit.
8. Mixed fruit – Make a fruit salad with a few mini-marshmallows and a little coconut thrown in and you’ve got yourself a great, healthy dessert. Canned pineapple bits and sweet peaches added to the mix and left to sit for an hour or so make the salad even better. The longer you let the flavors ‘gel’, the better they’ll taste. And it’s much better for kids than syrupy canned fruit cocktail.
9. Dried fruit – Dried banana chips are a sweet alternative to candy. Dried apple rings make for a fun and chewy treat. Dried grapes, or raisins, and currents sweeten up any snack.  Dried kiwi chips are colorful and surprisingly sweet. Dried peaches smell terrible but taste great, as do dried apricots. Prunes, or dried plums, are great for digestion and sweet to eat. Grab a bag of mixed dried fruit on your next car trip and pass them out instead of chips and candy. It’ll keep the kids full longer and give them some nutrition with their snack.
10. Fruit rolls – There are all kinds of fruit rolls. Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Roll-ups, and Fruit Leather are just a few brand names. Try to find ones with more fruit than corn syrup. The Whole Foods store usually carries some great-tasting varieties that kids will choose over candy bars or Cheetos.  Best of all, they’re individually wrapped so you can pack them in lunches or backpacks for healthy snacking.

There are all kinds of ways to disguise fruit, but the best way to keep your kids healthy in the long term is to make them aware of the benefits. If you can make fruit taste great without making it a punishment or hiding what it is, your kids will grow up with a respect for healthy snacking. Start them out eating healthy when they’re young and they’ll stick with it as adults. Remember that eating habits are formed from the start, so watch what they eat and make healthy snacking fun!