Am I old enough to be a parent?

This morning the first thing I heard from the girls was fussing over who got to spread their blanket and lay on the hall floor outside of our bedroom door. What a wake-up call. So, later they went outside with Nate and I had a little bit of peace while I was cleaning the bathrooms. When they came in still whining and fighting with each other, I picked them up one in each arm and took them to their room. As I left them there, Hannah curled up on the bed crying and Nikki sat with her arms folded glaring at me with a very defiant look on her face. I thought, "I am in way over my head with this parenting stuff." I have taken a few parenting and child development classes, I've read some parenting and discipline books, but I still feel such a loss sometimes as to how to be a good parent. First of all, the girls have such different personalities that it amazes me. They are like night and day. Generally, they are really good girls. And thankfully they get along really well most of the time. The situation this morning ended well. When I went back in their room they were laying on their bed reading books together. I even managed to get them to laugh. That's just one more example of how they can let things blow over and don't hold grudges or resentment. It's just overwhelming to think about the resonsibility we have as parents to teach these little ones so many things -- how to deal with anger, how to get along, how to have empathy for others, how to take responsibility for their actions, how to be honest. The list is endless. Although, as I think about it, it is nice that there are so many places to turn for help. I'm so thankful to have Nate. I can't imagine trying to be a parent by myself. We have an excellent extended family who are great examples to us. The scriptures and leaders of the church teach us so much, as well as having the guidance of the Spirit. So, while it can be overwhelming, I am grateful to be a parent. Sometimes I just have to remind myself of the sweet notes and pictures and flowers (mostly dandelions) they give to me because those things help put their little squabbles in perspective.