We lived in the U.S. when I had my first child. My job offered me a whole six weeks off - unpaid of course. I knew that wasn't going to be enough, so I was planning to quit. Bedrest and corporate takeover stymied my plan for a long feminist diatribe; an email had to do.

I think maternity leave differences between the U.S. and Canada are one of the biggest things that set us apart. The one year Canadian maternity leave forces companies and individuals to recognize that bonding with your baby is important. By holding a job open, it also forces employers to recognize that women's roles in the workplace are important.

A friend told me that her husband volunteered in a Junior Kindgergarten class and some of the kids didn't know how to feed themselves.

Isn't that sad? For the kids and their caregivers, who have spent hours spooning food into their mouths? It isn't just sad, but it is bad for the kids - it is even bad for babies.

Stress can be felt in so many ways. It hits you physically and mentally. It can affect your sleep, your health, sex life and your parenting and definitely cause breakouts.

But why is being a mom so stressful? Is it the time crunch? the feeling of never being on top of things? The many different things that need to be done in a day, all at the same time? Why is modern parenting so stressful? And what can we do about it?

Do you remember when "mom" was just what you called the woman who gave birth to you? (Mum, in my case.)

Now the word "mom" is a whole marketing strategy. The momification of every sector from business to fashion and entertainment to blogging is ongoing. There doesn't seem to be an area that can't be mommified. And I say this as a writer who is proud to be called a Mom Blogger (said with only slight sarcastic intonation).

You know that mommydom is trendy when even the celebrities are pulling out their mom card whenever they can. From their baby bump to getting their body back, a celebrity mom gets extra media attention, more tabloid shots and possibly extra sympathy from the cultural group known as "moms".

I got asked this a lot: "Do you know what you are having?"

Our usual answer to that question was: A) a baby B) a big meal C) what do you think I'm having? D) a human, unless that alien abduction dream was true.

At which point the asker would then try and guess, either by using some superstition that had to with my skin, eating habits, the way the wind blows, the size of my stomach or something else with little reliability.

But is knowing the gender of your baby really that important?

Sleep. It's the most elusive, fleeting, annoying, talked-about, and aggravating part of (early) parenthood.

With your first, no matter how much preparation you have had, there is absolutely no way that you are ready for the relentless attack on your sleep patterns. You will cry tears of exhaustion and bitterness. You will reach out to friends, strangers and professionals for answers.

But there are no answers on how to get your baby/toddler/preschooler to sleep. Nothing you will buy, read or pray to will prove to be the magic thing that does it. But looking back, there are a few things that helped me get through those sleepless nights and get my kids to sleep:

Did you hear that shot through the momosphere? That was Anderson Cooper firing up a new round of mommy wars using the term "lazy" as his weapon.

*Disclaimer: I hate the term mommy wars. I think it has been created by the media to place women's choices into boxes that need public approval, but not reflective of women's lives or their relationships.

On a promo for an upcoming show, Cooper had a group of stay-at-home moms and working moms arguing over who was happier. On the Anderson Cooper website the episode was called: "Are Stay-at-Home Moms Lazy? Plus, Kathie-Lee and Hoda" (Kathie-Lee and Hoda and their giant glasses of wine are just a bonus.)

In case you missed it, Beyonce had her baby. Unless you have been hiding in seclusion with no access to any form of media or public contact, this is not news.

JayZ and Beyonce's little princess is named Blue Ivy Carter. The current theory is that Blue is after JayZ's album Blueprint and Ivy is a riff on the Roman numerals for four (IV), the name of Beyonce's current album and the couple's favourite number. Personally, I hate the use of everyday words as first names. Poor little Blue will have to live with the 'why so Blue?' jokes for the rest of her life. But I guess she can retaliate with, "an apple a day" joke to you-know-who.

If you knew you could save your child from a lifetime of pain you would.

If you could save your child from an early death you would certainly do that too.

What if while doing those things you could also pick their intelligence? Their height and their ability to run fast? Those things may also help them as they go through life, wouldn't they?

Some people discount extremists like the Human Barbie mom who gave her daughter a credit for liposuction for Christmas. But I am more apt to see those people as a sign of our cultural times.

I don't think it is normal to give a child a credit for a future plastic surgery, but the fact that the story is dominating our news cycle is a clue to what we hold dear in our society. It's gross, and yet we want to hear more.

It's the same with Toddlers and Tiaras. We love to hate it.