Kids, when you have had them, are for a lot of people what life is about. You find someone you 'love' and hey presto you have reproduced yourself in a blink of an eye. You look down at 'little you' and your world is turned upside down - your life will never be the same again.

Over the years you watch and nurture 'little you', possibly have more 'little yous' and it begins to dawn on you fairly early on that your life revolves completely around these little people. Everything you do takes them into account.

In my younger child free years I could never imagine loving anyone else more than that long hairy bass guitarist from Duran Duran (showing my years now!) and yet here I am several years on sharing in every triumph and disaster in my boys' lives. 

My youngest is hopelessly in love with a young lady who does not yet reciprocate his unyielding love (even after 7 years) this is a disaster for him! However we shared a triumphant chicken korma and coke (his favourite) when 6 girls hugged him in succession at the school disco. YAY a success! He is now officially a stud muffin. My eldest son on the other hand thinks girls are overated and so difficult to understand, 'that won't change son', and asks why would they do or say the opposite to what they mean? Hmmm we girls are fickle creatures...

As they both enter their teenage years, one is nearly 13 the other nearly 16, I seem to either bounce between wanting to hug them till one of us pops to shouting at them for having to ask for the umpteenth time to clear up after themselves.

There never seems to be any grey area on this, they are either incredibly lovable or amazingly frustrating. However, despite my grumbles, no matter what they are always loved. They could (please don't take this literally boys) wreck the house, crash the car, practically ruin me financially and I will still be there for them.

Maybe if they taught you in school what your parents are going through at that exact time in your life, the worries, hopes and fears thay had for us, we would appreciate our parents as we hope to be appreciated as parents.

I was talking to my eldest son of nearly 16 this week about how his exams were going? He has something called Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism, which causes him some difficulties. Basically he has the intellect of Einstein and the social skills of Borat (at times!).

He told me that yes most of his GCSE's had gone very well but that he was incredibly worried about a few exams and he felt that he could have done better - The story of my school life!

I spent the next half an hour explaining to him that it's not always about the grades you get in exams that make you a success in life or not. I personally did not do great at school, ok, but not great and could have done much better. I chose to go back 'to school' when I was 28. My husband on the other hand failed most of his CSE's (as they were then) and came out of school with nothing apart from a passion for art. He has been running a successful business for the past 12 years based around that passion for art.

It's not always about results.

Success is not always something that can be measured. Should he worry that success is based on intellect or proof of that intellect? Is success based on income? If a single parent raises a child to feel loved and cared for is that not a success?

I think what I am getting at is that so many young people worry about being successful in life but more often it is more about your passion to succeed in whatever you do in your life that will drive you forward.