Okay I have a confession to make. I’m not perfect. I wasn’t a perfect kid, I wasn’t a perfect student, I wasn't a perfect single, workingwoman and I am not a perfect parent. Whew, glad I got that off my chest. Of course I knew all of this when I became a parent, but that didn’t stop me from buying into the sterilized view of parenting. You know what I’m talking about. Those warm, glowing, everyone’s happy mothers who never yell at their children or beat themselves up when they do ‘that which makes us human.’ In other words, they never make mistakes.

Well, let’s just say it didn't take but a few months before I blew a crater-sized hole in that way of thinking. I was going out on one of my first outings with my daughter, all by myself. I had everything packed – diapers, pacifiers, diaper pad (for her) breast pads (for me). Yep, I was feeling pretty darn good about my efforts, until she had a, um, what’s the best way to describe this, a blowout. In the car. Then screamed for a mile and a half until I could pull over and see what was going on. In that long list of things in the diaper bag, notice one missing? Wipes! Yes, I had no wipes to help in the er, em, cleanup. So I punted. Once I determined what the problem was (and it wasn’t that difficult), I went to the nearest fast food restaurant, bought a large drink and asked for a ton of napkins. Using the bottle of water in my bag (see, I had nearly everything) I wet the napkins and gingerly patted my princess’ bottom. Was it the perfect situation? Nope, not even close. Did it work, you bet.

From that I learned three crucial things that have stayed with me through the parenting journey.

1. Laughter helps, A LOT: If for nothing else, than it keeps you from wanting to cry! You think I didn't want to do that when the smell overtook my car, or as I was trying to pull the car over safely and get my baby taken care of? Whew. When it was all said and done, the thought of that much, em, stuff, coming out of that beautiful baby’s bum, was pretty funny.

2. Learn from your mistakes: In fact I don’t even like to think of them as mistakes as much as lessons along the path. You can be certain of this; I never forgot wipes again. You know why? Because that experience taught me to keep a checklist, (similar to the one HERE on the Evenflo site) in one of the diaper bag pockets. Yes, I know it seems a bit much, but it kept me from the horror I experienced that afternoon.

3. If they judge, you don’t need them: Motherhood is hard enough without the few who never make mistakes (they’re lying) standing in judgment of those of us who do. If you make a mistake and someone gives you a hard time about it or questions your ability to be a good parent as a result, you really don’t need them in your life.

Now, I have to be clear about one thing; a kid with a poopy diaper in your car is a minor parenting foible. But there are some mistakes, like overlooking the proper installation of a car seat or leaving a baby unattended, can never be allowed to happen.

The thing about motherhood is that sometimes you’ll feel you’re batting a thousand; other times you’ll wonder why you’ve been entrusted to care for something so small and helpless. And sometimes those feelings will come on the same day. Along with the above tips, I would add this, understand you are not the first to make whatever the dreaded mistake is, nor will you be the last. You, and your child, will survive it; heck, kids have been doing it since the beginning of time. Take comfort in that.

Good luck mommy!

-Rene Syler, aka Good Enough Mother

We all have them. They may not all be colorful, but they dwell in the corners of our homes. They make our husbands cringe at the thought of picking them up at the store solo. You guessed it –Tampons. We all know their intended purpose- but did you know, they can also help your child identify colors? A certain brand that shall remain nameless recently came out with BRIGHT, colorful tampon wrappers. And hey, before I weird you out too much, let me get you up to speed on my current living situation. Having moved from Texas to New York, we are now living in a hotel for 2 months, with 2 weeks to go. We came with only what fit in our van. I’m trying to get creative with toys here, people. The first time my 2-year-old came running out with the box of tampons and dumped them out on the couch, I started to say “No, no,” but then decided my energy level was too low to fight it. I’d just hide them better next time. That was until Harrison exclaimed “Geen!” (Green). Wow. How long had I been working on colors with him? Months? How many times had I asked, “What color is your shirt?” only to have him reply with an incorrect guess? And here he is, using the most random green thing in the whole hotel room as his triumphant moment of mastery over color identification. Well hello tampons, welcome to the toy room. They make their appearance from time to time, and whenever they do my son and I spend 15 minutes joyously naming off color after neon color. Wonderful! Now, I understand that some of you may be looking for a more traditional approach to teaching colors. I still love all those ways- crayons, books, clothes, street signs, while shopping... they are all great. Keep colors on your mind, and I promise your child will pick up on them before you know it.

Here are a few additional tips:

• Use their favorite things. For instance, my son is O.B.S.E.S.S. E. D. with matchbox cars. They have to come everywhere with us. He plays with them all day long. So, what better way to help him learn colors then with a few of his favorite things? When I go out shopping for new cars (because we all know they get lost ever so easily) I look for bright, colorful ones. Now Harrison makes sure to say “green car, red car, etc.”
• Pick colorful toys that serve multiple purposes. We have magnet letters on our fridge that are bright, primary colors, which I love because we can work on both at the same time. Bingo! Look for puzzles, books, flashcards, or toys that are going to kill two birds with one stone.
• Ask the question multiple ways. Instead of always saying “What color is this?” be sure to mix it up. “Which one is blue? Is this yellow or green? Can you bring me the red one? Can you find something orange?”
• Work on it. All the time. Before you know it, your child will be spouting them off everywhere you go.

At the end of the day, this is all just supposed to be fun. It is a way to bond with your child, as you get the satisfaction of teaching them something! Enjoy it, and your child will enjoy it too!

By Gust Blogger Joanna from The Bragging Mommy

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "Imitation is the biggest form of flattery.”  Well, it’s not so flattering when you're two year old "imitates" that bad word you just said.  Even when you think they aren't watching or listening, your kids pick up on everything that is being said or done.  The earlier you learn this, the better.

We've unfortunately slipped a few times and said words that we would not like Evan to repeat.  Of course, he decided to repeat those words and used them in a sentence perfectly.    We then had to explain to him that those words are very ugly and Mommy and Daddy shouldn't say them anymore.
 
I'm sure anyone with a toddler or preschool-aged child can provide multiple stories of the things that their child said or did as a result of learning from mommy or daddy.  We all learn a little too late that we are our child's biggest teacher and we need to show them how to act.
 
Always think about how you would feel if your child repeated something you did or said before acting.  Try to display all of the positive values that you want them to learn such as generosity and forgiveness.  When you do slip, be sure to let them know that you were wrong and made a mistake.  Our kids won't turn out perfectly, but the best way to teach them is to lead by example.

From guest blogger, Dee, Two of a Kind