problems with Content management programs

I would like to ask if most of you use a CMS in order for your clients to do some of their own updating. I am new to all this and am just getting comfortable with HTML/CSS and Dreamweaver to build new websites. Some are my own and some I have edited from a template or 2. Now I have given some quotes lately and am waiting for replies to get started, however these (maybe) new clients are requesting that they do some updating of text and images eventually themselves. This of course is understandable and I would be happy for them to but have wasted so many hours trying to figure it out that I wonder if it is worth it.

My understanding with CMS is that they are their own programs for building the sites from scratch. I want to continue to build the sites with Dreamweaver. I am lost in all this and wonder what it is that you are all doing.

So far I have managed to install CMS made simple but am having a difficult time using it the way I would like.

Sorry for the lengthy post. Look forward to your replies.

Content Management Systems are to enable people to edit the content of their sites, not to build them from scratch.

Designers design their sites, and coders integrate the sites into a CMS. The client then adds the content (text, images and links etc)

It takes time to learn how to get around a CMS and how to develop one for each individual application. Also if you design it will take you time to learn how to design for CMS's.

I started with Wordpress, and have seen it has huge scalability into many different applications for CMS. Check them out at www.wordpress.org

Thanks for the reply Julian,
CMSmadesimple has been recommended to me and I have started to play with it a bit. I can see now that I don't really like it for building the site with unless I use the template they provide but have managed to create my own template (from my existing html and css) Its still new to me but I think I will be able to use it.

Can I ask you though, with any CMS program, should I be able to just pick and choose which pages and content I want the client to be able to edit?

And,, If the client is editing the text on a specific page through the admin area but later needs an update on that same page from me due to something more complex say, I will also have to make my changes with the CMS otherwise if I do it with my Dreamweaver and FTP then I will be overwriting their addition. Correct?