Where's the book?

Remember when you were expecting your first baby? One of the first things I did was buy the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting". I read that book all the time with all four of my kids. After that, I didn't have time to read. I've never been one to read all of the parenting books but I did read a few. I wanted to stay up to date to see if I was "doing it right". I am in no way a parenting expert but raising 4 kids (17, 16, 14 & 7), I consider myself experienced. As I look back and think about the advice I have been given through the years, I feel like people forgot to fill me in on a few things. The early 90's were a blur to me. Having 3 babies in car seats and 2 in diapers at the same time really did a number on my brain function. Looking back, I think, how did I do it? Not only did I do it, I did it by myself. I didn't have Grandma's and relatives that would come over so I could go to the grocery or take a shower. I drug those kids to the grocery stores and any other errands I had to do. I would wait until hubby got home from work to get stuff done. One of the WORST pieces of advice I kept hearing was "it will get easier when they get older". It doesn't! I don't want to scare any new mom's out there but having the babies was the easy part. Gone are the days where you could put them in their crib or playpen and then they would take a nap. Gone are the days, where you could put them in the high chair with cheerios and they would sit still long enough to eat them all gone. These days, having my family sit at the dinner table at one time is a miracle. Where did it say this in the book? Gone are the days where we could go to McDonald's and get out of there under $20 with Happy Meals. If we do make it out to dinner (which is rare), it's about $75. They have to have platters. Don't get me started on clothing. Gone are the days of picking up outfits at Target (my favorite). Now it's American Eagle and Hollister. I recently picked up some underwear for one of my girls at Victoria Secret-hey they were a bargain. I never thought the day would come that I would be shopping for my baby girls there. Gone are the days of buying princess panties at Target. Where was this in the books? Where in the books did it say the emotional rollercoaster one will ride as one of their kids prepares for college and another one starts high school?

I know I am rambling on and on and I apologize. I am not even sure what the message of this blog entry even is. I guess I'm just looking for a book "What to Expect the Teenage Years". Maybe I could write the book.