I never knew what second-guessing myself meant

Until the day I became a nervous parent

Deliberating over every single decision

That in any way involved my son

Uncertain of every step that I took

Afraid that I was not going by the book

Did not know whether to trust my instinct

For the first time, when it was in conflict

With advice given  by almost everyone

Around me, each with a strong opinion

The rules of parenting, I did realize

Were proving quite difficult to memorize

I had previously waded through waters unknown

But as a mother I felt nervous and alone

Afraid of causing harm somehow to my son

By my ignorance of raising children under the sun..

**

All around me I found advice that I imbibed

Some tips were helpful, by others I could not abide

Soon I realized there were no rules, and despite all advice

Journey as a parent meant you had to improvise

Based on maternal instinct and common sense

Realizing this gave me much more confidence

In my ability as a mother, and though I was imperfect

My intuition was the best guide, I had to accept!