Let me introduce myself. My name is Susan Payton. I live in Orlando. I am:

• a 30-year-old woman
• a wife
• a business owner (I own Egg Marketing & Public Relations and a Marble Slab Creamery)
• a writer

And while each of these job titles gives me its own set of stresses, there is one job that prevails. Despite the low pay, short-fused boss prone to temper tantrums, and small thanks, my number one job is that of Mother.

I know, I’m not alone. There are a ton of mommy bloggers out there. But here’s where I differ. I get frustrated with the content online and in books that just seems to insinuate that parenting is all bubblegum and pony rides. That, if you follow the instructions provided by PhD experts, everything from potty training to tantrum taming will just fall into place.

I believe there is a conspiracy going on. One that the majority of parents fall into. Rather than be honest with ourselves and fellow parents, we try to pretend parenting is easy and always rewarding. Well let me shock the world by telling the truth. At least my truth:

SOMETIMES PARENTING SUCKS.

Go ahead, think I’m a bad parent for letting that out. I’d rather release my feelings about it in a blog than shake my three-year-old son in the grocery store or spank him, or scream at him. Sometimes as a parent, you’re toeing a very thin line between holding in your sanity and unleashing a monsoon of blasphemy and pain guaranteed to keep your kid in therapy for life. We need an outlet. I’ve chosen this as mine.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate being a parent. My son is your average smarter-than-every-other-kid-and-the-best-artist-in-his-class three-year-old. He’s gorgeous enough for television, which is why we’ll keep him away from Hollywood. He’s generally well-mannered and knows when to listen…most of the time.

My husband and I share equally in Max’s upbringing. Thank goodness for that. I certainly would be driven to insanity if I had one of those husbands who just assumed it was ok to let Mom handle everything while he drinks beer on the couch (sorry if I’m calling you out, but I tell it how I see it) or if I was a single parent (I give kudos to those. I really don’t know how you do it. Or how Jon & Kate Plus 8 do it, for that matter).

I wanted an outlet to pour out my feelings about parenting, as well as to see if there are other parents willing to admit my creed: that sometimes parenting sucks. I know you’re out there. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Being honest with yourself will only make you a better parent.