Parenting is not, I repeat, not for the faint of heart. For many of us, it was easy enough to bring our sons and daughters into this world and to hold their tiny forms in our arms. We had no idea what was coming. The 4 a.m. feedings, the nights spent vainly trying to comfort a wailing child, watching as they took their first steps, the joys of toilet training, the "terrible twos" ... those moments are but distant memories now.
In the blink of an eye, our sons are teenagers, and as I am working on this text they are preparing for the final exams of their school year. The challenges that seemed so far off as we propped open our eyelids for those 4 a.m. feedings are upon my husband and me as we encourage our sons to study and do their best. Earlier today, as one of our sons and I spoke ab…