Caroline Miles and her son Kenneth Perkins.

Motherhood surely did not come with a manual, but thanks to my mother, Elfreda Cleopatra Bernard, who passed on many tips before she died, I am still hanging in there! She has helped me to survive Kenneth Perkins' terrible twos and the onset of puberty. Elfreda introduced me to and encouraged me in the visual arts and aesthetics.

Today, the arts and aesthetics are used in all facets of Kenneth's upbringing. He is encouraged to channel all his senses, what he feels, hears, sees, smells and tastes in his art.

Thanks to my mother, I have used art motivation as my greatest tool to navigate naughtiness, fathom the future and cope with crisis.

I try to listen and learn the latest 16-year-old slangs. I am still trying to understand why boys address each other as 'dogs' and it is acceptable.

At 40, I am still trying to learn the 'Gully Creepa', 'Nuh Linga', 'Dip Again' and 'Rodney Rodney' even though my tired, aching bones seem to resist at every turn! My son's latest craze is dance and music, so what to do? I'd better learn the lines of Mavado's So Special and Vybz Kartel's Mamma Mamma, for one of his passionate music discussions that I know will be coming soon.

Motherhood is still trial and error. Kenneth still falls in love every other month, his eating habits change every two months, he still throws temper tantrums, he is still a rebel at times, but this is motherhood and I am in it for better or worse.

It's been 16 years and we still do not have everything right. It's not perfect, but I would not change motherhood for anything.

- Caroline Miles