I was the surliest 14 year old ever. (We're late bloomers in my family). And the best maternal button-pusher. I fully expect to see payback for this in 10 years.

But sometimes, saying yes can mean the difference between a good time and a really horrible time.

And I wanted to say, "If you want to be able to sleep in and not be woken up by this baby at 5 AM, you'll give in."

My mother, on the other hand, thinks I am some kind of communist for believing this, and told me my six month old was manipulating me. And she HAD kids!

Of COURSE babies are manipulative. It's how they stay alive. If they didn't manipulate us, they'd be left in their carseat on the curb with a sign that says "Free to okay home."

Discipline is more like cleverly outwitting them and removing obstacle to cooperation before they notice them.

But this is also true of 13 year olds!

"You know at some point your parents will learn how to say No to you" and I had to be stopped from ripping her head off. I wanted to say, "Yeah. I was a perfect parent too before I had real kids."

Yeash. He's a BABY. Their sleep cycles are not adult human. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, neither are my parents. Or yours, Kat! Babies aren't supposed to be. (The rest of you all are just weirdos.) But that's the collision of people unfamiliar with babies and those that are.

Also? Yeah to the perfect parent thing. And I'm not a parent! Just a very much part-timer. Still, I'll have my Views. But I try to cram them down because, look, I'm not living it. When I do, even part-time, well then I can try out my schtick. Until then, I should stick with suggestions, not judgements.

Of course, I still fail, sometimes.

I still fail, sometimes.

Should be on a t-shirt and worn by every parent ever.

Taking away something at the moment (other than turning off a tv or sending him to his room) will always escalate the meltdown for mac. It's been a hard thing for me to realize in the moment that I can usually control the turn of his mood by how I react at the first outburst or bad behavior.

Kat, you showed great restraint in not slapping that friend. I've verbal slapped a few childless people in my life when they said similar.

I think that's the name! Margaritas and mole it is. I'll be at the restaurant at 5:30.

See you then!

The other response that I thought would have been great would have been to say, "I know you think you are a parenting expert because your husband acts like a 2 year old, but frankly, it's not the same."

Discipline is more like cleverly outwitting them and removing obstacle to cooperation before they notice them.

I sometimes deal with administrators this way.

"I know you think you are a parenting expert because your husband acts like a 2 year old, but frankly, it's not the same."

Heh heh heh.

"You know at some point your parents will learn how to say No to you"

And, you know, at some point he'll learn to understand words and it might actually matter. Grrrr.

As others have already said - BABY. NOT KID. NO LOGIC CIRCUITS IN BRAIN YET.

I do say "No!!" to Dylan, but not in an expecting-him-to-actually-know-what-the-hell-I'm-talking-about way. More in a "NO! I really wish you weren't trying to eat my glasses right now!" way.