Karin Watson knows parenting — the world’s most difficult, most thankless job — is never finished.

“I’m still learning how to parent my adult daughter,” she admitted to a small group of mothers at a discussion group. Watson, Island County Health Department’s parent education coordinator, recently began moderating a parent discussion group. The free group meets Thursday mornings at Harbor Haven Nursery. The group is free, child care is available and the group is open to any and every parent.

“No matter what age a child or parent is, everyone can gain from discussing the challenges, and benefits, of being a parent,” Watson said.

Watson said no one is ever totally prepared to become a parent and there is no one perfect way to be a parent. There’s also no way anyone can tell another person how to act, say or do to become the best parent. And stress happens because there is no one perfect way to raise children.

“There’s no reason to feel guilty about making choices that work best for your family,” Watson told the group. “We can talk about how to take on what we have to do to raise kids. And how it’s OK for parents to wake up and say ‘I need help.’ ”

Watson stressed that parents should never feel guilty for wanting to take time away.

“Parenting is one big interruption,” she said. “It’s important for parents to find down time and do little things to take care of yourself.”

Moms laughed as Watson read the book “Five Minutes Peace” about a mom desperately seeking just a few minutes alone by locking herself in the bathroom. Her kids keep knocking on the door, asking questions.

“I’m happy if I can go to the grocery store alone,” Jaimie said. Since it’s a confidential group, the parents didn’t want to give their full names.

“I wouldn’t know what to do if I went shopping alone,” Johanna added.

Moms at the group’s second meeting said that parents face hardships finding help.

“If anyone offers to help me, I let them,” Kimberly said. She said she has found join a local church family filled with helpful people.

Other moms said they hasn’t had luck finding helpful churches.

Watson said locally, families face challenges from frequent military moves and making new friends and connections every few years. She said it was easy for parents to not take care of themselves because friends and family aren’t always close.

Watson challenged moms to write down one small thing they can do for themselves in the coming week. She promised to hold the moms to that self-nurturing commitment.

“If you take care of yourself, you can be there for your children,” she said.

“I’ll be here next week,” Johanna decided.