Don’t you wish there was a foolproof guidebook for those tricky parenting moments? When I discovered I was pregnant, I read all the books and I thought I was ready, but I had no idea what a roller coaster experience I was going to have. I remember telling the doctor that I couldn’t get my daughter on a schedule. He tried not to laugh while he told me that babies make their own schedules. That was only the beginning of figuring everything out along the way. Most days I thought

Parenting is unlike any other experience in life. You have to learn how to multitask, think quickly on your feet, be flexible but firm, be creative in many different ways, and do it all with much less than the recommended amount of sleep. All the chaos can take a toll on a parent’s mental health, but parents can have an easier time of it if they let a few things go. Here are a few ideas. Don’t strive for perfection. Parenting is messy and smelly, and what worked well for you