A Little Advice

What comes after babies?  Diapers?  Night-time feedings?  That permanent "baby dough" tummy?  Hips that are never the same?  Well, unfortunately, yes. 
But, so do baby showers! 
I am going to a baby shower for a new little girl named Kaylee Sharleen this weekend.  Her mom and her family were my neighbors across the street growing up.  Her grandma Sharleen passed away from cancer in her early 40's.  Sharleen's two girls have done her proud many times over.  When I saw her granddaughter's name, I cried tears of joy for their family.  I know she is smiling down from heaven, just as she has done all these years. 
So, I was thinking about this baby shower.  Usually baby showers ask for the guests' advice on child rearing.  In preparation, I have gathered a few tidbits I think new parents may appreciate.  You may take it or leave it.  After all, I am far from an expert at this gig after only 7 years in the trenches.  But, here's a sampling of what I have learned so far: 
1.  It is OK if your child eats his own poop or sprays pee into his own mouth.  If it is someone else's, call a doctor.
2.  It is an appropriate fashion statement to go to communion covered in baby spit-up.
3.  You are NOT a bad mom if you work outside the home, work at home, bottle-feed or breastfeed.  Do what makes you the best mom you can be.
4.  We all need a little time away from our blessings now and again.  As my mom says, "If they sleep all night, they are always cuter in the morning."
5.  WD-40 takes crayon off walls and mini-van interiors.
6.  McDonald's will accept a check written in purple crayon.
7.  Potty training can take a loooonng time, but your child will eventually "get it."
8.  Sometimes it's best to put down the camera and live in the moment.
9.  If think you smell poop or puke, you most probably do.
10.  Cantaloupes split open when thrown from grocery store shopping carts.
11.  So do sour cream containers.
12.  Always take along an extra pair of underwear and pants for your toddler (and for yourself if you plan to be holding that toddler on your lap).
13.  Just because you are a different parent than someone else doesn't mean you are doing it wrong.
14.  Play with your kids, but mostly encourage them to play independently or with each other.
15.  If you want to know where your kids are outside at all times, get a litter of kittens, a huge mud puddle, or a wheel barrow filled with toads. 
To be continued . . . .