Parenting Fails

Like the learner’s book you study before you get your driver’s licence, we think there should be a parenting manual. These moms might agree…

- Lucia Walker

  MISSING ITEM ALERT   There’s so much to remember when you’re first-time parents. The first time my husband and I took our newborn out, we ran through a checklist with military precision: nappies, bottles, dummies. We were clearly more relaxed when we put him back in the car, as we managed to forget the pram in the parking lot and headed home. When we returned 45 minutes later, a security guard told us that someone had called the police because they’d assumed the crumpled up blankets were an abandoned baby. Eek!   YOU SAID WHAT?!   My daughter’s at that age where she repeats everything she hears. As you can imagine, it’s put me in a pretty tight spot more than once. One of the worst times though, was picking her up from school. I was standing by the gate chatting to one of the other moms when my daughter came running out, looked up at me and said, ‘Why are you talking to Jade’s mom? You told me that you hated her.’