Reply #43: See, we are older parents too (see my post above).

[Maat]

All that has meant is that Beloved Princess (8) thinks that every child has her own bathroom and TWO bedrooms.

When you are older, you have time and resources to give them, and I (anyway) am much calmer.

The down side - well, I had a health scare, and a bad doctor told me I likely had cancer. I thought, "What have I done?" It turned out I didn't have anything exept something harmless.

The whole experience scared me. She know has a trust. It was a growth experience - I learned not to beat myself up. True, she had a set of biological parents that abandoned her before we adopted her, and losing another parent would be tragic. But I can't guarantee I will live forever (I'm 47), but I CAN guarantee having a positive influence on her, teaching her love and values, and I CAN financially provide for her future. I guess that is all any parent can promise.

It is all about HER now - gladly - I am just not anywhere near as self-involved as before we were blessed with Princess.