The Greatest Gifts in Life, which are always created for free, but never come with instructional guide, are your children. The following suggestions may help any new parents feeling blessed by the birth of their first baby, but also feeling overwhelmed by this wondrous experience.

1 - You cannot love, hug, kiss, cuddle, or hold your newborn too much. He needs your affection to feel safe in a world that's all new to him.

2 - This tiny person is totally dependent on you for everything in his life. He cannot survive without you.

3 - Establish a routine. Your baby needs to be able to count on certain activities occurring around the same time each day. Feeding, naps, fun and affection should be a part of every
schedule.

4 - Sleepless nights may seem never-ending as your newborn awakens you with his cries. But time will fly by and your baby won't be a baby for long. Treasure each moment of this experience.

5 - Nobody can teach you how to be a parent. You will learn on the job. Trust your instincts. Nobody knows your baby better than you.

6 - Being a parent will be the most challenging and most rewarding experience of your life. Cherish every day with your child.

7 - A child is not a possession or a toy or someone to take for granted. A baby is a blessing.

8 - Respect your child's father or mother whether you're still married to them or not. Your baby will remember how you treat each other. Children learn by example.

9 - Being a parent is at minimum an 18 year commitment. You can't quit halfway through.

10 - Your life will never be the same. Respect the value of this little miracle and remember he will always be a part of you. Nothing in the world should compete with your commitment to love your child.

Danielle Hollister

Danielle Hollister is a single mom of a seven year-old son, who is her personal assistant in their home office, where she has been working as a freelance writer, editor and researcher for more than 10 years. Danielle?s work has been featured in online newsletters, like Briefme.com's Books & Literature ezine, on various websites, and in print publications. Before expanding her career focus to the Internet, she worked for more than three years as a freelance reporter for The Patriot-News, the only daily newspaper in her hometown of Harrisburg, which is the Capitol of Pennsylvania. She also spent two years as the assistant writer to the Director of Public Relations at Penn State Harrisburg, after graduating with high honors from the University with a Bachelor's Degree in Humanitites/Communications. While in college, she worked part-time to pay for her education as a Special Events Coordinator for the Central PA Chapter of The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and as an Editorial Assistant for Stackpole Publishing in Harrisburg.