1)       Examine the things you say to your child on autopilot and examine them. We often repeat the things our parents said to us, and this is a great way to revisit your childhood and appreciatively remember the gifts your parents gave to you in warm, supportive expressions. Alternatively, it’s a great way to break the cycle of hurtful expressions if (like me) that’s what automatically comes out of your mouth. If your autopilot says the hurtful stuff, learn to keep your mouth shut until your brain catches up. I wish I’d learned how to do this long before I had children.

 2)       90% of the advice we get on child-rearing is pure shit. If you’re a brand new parent, you might want to write this on your hand. I don’t care if the advice comes from your parents, your in-laws, your sweet grandmother, or your best friend. Advice is great when you hear it in large quantities from different sources. It’s a source of ideas for solving your own problems. But believe you me, most of the stuff you hear is either patently untrue or will not work with your particular situation. You can trust your gut when it comes to what’s best for your family and your children. Don’t forget that Aesop’s fable starring the man, the boy, and the donkey.

3)       You can change any bad habit that has developed in your family at any time. You can start today. The habits that children develop when they are young can pack a punch down the road. So whatever it is that’s wrong (discipline, eating habits, inactivity), the sooner you go about fixing it, the more likely it will stick. The quicker you nip a bad habit in the bud, the less screaming, crying, and hysterics you will have to endure.

 4)       Miscellaneous do’s and do nots: Do not bring one of those sippy cups with a straw onto an airplane. For that matter, do not bring any of those sippy cups with a straw with you whenever you are going to endure a significant rise in elevation. Do not drink any kind of beverage on an airplane with an angelic, peacefully sleeping baby on your lap. Do not clip your newborn’s fingernails. Do not let your toddler wrestle the urine-holding part of the cute little potty chair away from the sitting part of the cute little potty chair by herself. Diaper poop checks are best done with the visual and olfactory senses, not the tactile sense. Perform the poop check before you quickly and carelessly remove a diaper right before the bath. Also, do not remove that diaper while holding the baby above the tub (especially with big sister in tub). You catch my drift. Mistakes happen. Daily.