How have you changed since becoming a parent? Were those changes good or bad?

Our kids took  us to places we never expected to go. As they developed interests Mrs Didge and I developed them too. Well, often. They became interested in sport so we got involved. They learned new things they wanted to share and, often, we learned from their experience.

We learned how to compromise when it was necessary and how to be rigid when it was necessary.

Kids should come with a user manual but since they don't we had to stumble along, just like everybody else. It's a learning experience for both parent and child. Most of us survive; with a little luck and a lot of commitment we're enriched by the experience.

Ever since I started taking care of my younger sister ( 4 years ago), it's helped me manage my anger a bit and it's fun having a child around to play with, having her fall into my hands a bit too early has made me more responsible but it didn't help me all that much in other aspects.

Although my kids are all in their 40's now, I sure had to change my wild ways when they were young. Tried my best to set a good example for them if I could. Struggled hard with PTSD the first few years but put that aside to raise my son and two step-kids. They are all pretty successful now so I guess I did OK. I think the changes were good for me and for them !

I grew up real quick. I settled down, got a haircut (which pleased my father), bought a house and traded the hotrod for a family car.