I have taken to doing my makeup in secret so my daughter can't find out. If she sees me with a brush in hand she demands some makeup too. Sometimes I even find her in my bathroom pretending to look for something but she is really trying out my blush.

It really bugs me. Who really wants their little girl wearing makeup? Evidently, Wal-Mart thinks their customers do. They are launching a new make-up line for eight - twelve year olds in March. The new Geo Girl line has 69 products in it, is easy to apply and even contains some anti-aging properties, to maintain that healthy 8-year old glow.

Did you see the episode of Mordern Family last week? When the kids walk in on their parents, Claire and Phil, as Phil says: "having sex"? (Clair's response is: "That's not a euphemism, Phil.")

It was horribly hilarious. Because it is something we parents fear, and something the kid in us fears when it comes to our own parents. I don't think the ick factor ever goes away.

At the age of four, my son was running around with a pretend guns shooting everyone in his path. I was panicked and asked his wise nursery school teacher what to do. She explained calmly that kids at the age of four play with archetypal gender roles as they learn to define themselves in a complicated world.

But she didn't say it like that; she said not to worry, all kids do it -- boys are superheroes and girls are princesses.

I think of that often as I see my daughter dressed up in her full princess regalia, as I have to fight with her over my blush and lip gloss, as she tells me that when she is grown up that she is going to be married to a prince.

Mommy has a man cold. You know one of those colds that isn't horrible but just enough to make me lethargic, lose my voice and be whiny.

But when mommy is sick no one brings her tea in bed or makes chicken soup. Kids don't magically appear at home or get to their extracurriculars, so I'm limping around in my pyjama shirt and sweatpants (even yoga pants would be a step up).

A child care worker at a local daycare was recently arrested during school hours. The charges were all sex related and included kids under the age of 16. It is one of the moments that sends shock waves through a community and shakes parents to their core.

The intensity of disbelief and anger can really alter how you see the world and affect how our kids perceive the safety of their environment. Most parents feel angry that a place they chose to send their kids to, a place they believed was safe, was possibly not. (Note: Charges have been laid but the worker has not been found guilty).

Sometimes I just want to throw out the newspaper before my kids get a chance to see how horrible the world can be. Who wants to answer questions about shootings, bombs, and earthquakes to a five-year-old or a seven-year-old, or even a 10-year-old?

But at the same time, providing context to the world is a parent's job. And so I waffle between exposing my kids to the news and shielding them from the harsh realities.

I have learned that being honest and clear and making kids feel safe is very important when talking about current events. But not all current events are horrible and I don't always keep on top of what my kids are interested in or what they need to know.

There are some new websites that are trying to clear up the confusion and help kids learn about the world around them in child-appropriate ways. My favourites include:

You know what freaks me out? All the media hype around the new teen show Skins. Skins is an Americanized version of a British TV show of the same name (it's on MTV in the U.S. and Movie Central in Canada). It is a true-to-life depiction of teens at this moment -- all the sex, drinking, drugs and violence that goes on. According to reports, it makes Gossip Girl look like an after-school special.

You know what doesn't freak me out? Hugging. Teens do a lot of hugging, especially teen girls and along with the hugging comes squealing and giggling and more hugging. It is a strange and annoying ritual practised by teens everywhere. But according to The Globe and Mail, some schools are putting a stop to it by banning hugs.

What's the most stressful day of the year?

Did you guess your kid's birthday party? If you did, then we are on the same page.

A five-year-old has no sense of proportion: they want to invite their whole class, have a crazy theme and get tons of presents. Then they base their mood on the outcome for at least two days following the party. Parents go to extreme lengths and cost to make sure that it lives up to a five-year-old's imagination.

We get all bent out of shape over the napkins, the invitations and the loot bags. I guarantee that more money gets poured into kids' birthday parties than the parents "big" days every year.

A typical dinner conversation in my house:

Son Number 1: I don't believe in God, why would I?

Me: Some people believe in a higher power without labelling it God...

Son Number 1: Do you?

Me: No, I don't, at least I think I don't. I think this is it.

Son Number 2 [runs up to the table]: Pull my finger. [pfffffftt]

Daughter: Ha ha ha, that stinks... I love that trick.

Husband: I believe that there is something greater than us, I wouldn't say it in a monotheistic way. I just think there is an energy that surrounds us. There are just so many unanswered questions.

Son Number One: Like why the monkeys stayed monkeys and we didn't. You know they just discovered a planet 12-million light years away that could support life. Maybe there are aliens out there.

Son Number Two: I don't know about God but aliens would be cool. But I do believe in Santa.

Son Number One: We are Jewish, genius. 

My husband and I thought long and hard about only having one child, we liked the little unit that three of us made: so transportable, so intense and so calm. We went on to have three children by choice and live in the chaos. I am sure now that I am the parent of a "brood," having miscommunicated, said the wrong thing and inadvertantly hurt parents who have "onlys." I asked Katie, aka motherbumper, and one of the creative forces behind the infamous Bad Moms Club to do a guest post about being the parent of an only child.

But Why Is She An Only Child?

It’s impossible for me to count the number of situations where the perfect comeback only arrives in my brain after the situation has ended. Most of the time I’m satisfied with my reactions, and sometimes I want to hit rewind and get an impossible do-over which results in wit and a more pleasant outcome. The situation I’m about to describe, however, isn’t one of those times because I am still lost in finding the perfect comeback.