Professional Driver - Closed Course.

Don't you just hate that? You're watching a car commercial and the manufacturer is trying to market a vehicle that makes you so envious of its capabilities that you'd trade in your current vehicle for the one they're trying to sell you. Only, you happen to notice the little disclaimer in the corner stating something to the effect of:
"Professional Driver. Closed Course"
"Professional Driver. Do not attempt."
"Professional Driver. In your dreams sucka!"

Let's be honest with ourselves, no one is a professional driver. Either that or the "professionals" don't have to drive to work during rush hour...

I just find it humorous that car makers are trying to showcase what their car can do, but warning you not to do it on your own. Isn't that the point of owning your own car? To do whatever you want in it? I mean, if that new Lexus LX4thousand or whatever can drift its way between 6 other luxury cars, doesn't that mean I can too?

OK, so my point is - follow your gut. If a car commercial looks too good to be true, it probably is. No one is a professional parent either, but there are enough parenting books out there to make you think that someone has figured it out. Well I got news for ya, they don't. They may have figured it out for their own child, but what works for some doesn't work for all. The books will say to put your child to sleep on their back, and you struggle for 6 weeks only to find out that they prefer to sleep on their stomach. The books will say that your child should be eating X ounces of milk by the X month, only to find out that your child has the metabolism of a hummingbird and has to eat every 90 minutes. The books will say that by this age, your child will likely be sleeping X hours per night - only to find out that your child sleeps way less (or more) than that.

Don't get me wrong, parenting books certainly can be helpful - but be sure to take them with a grain of salt. You'd be surprised how well you know your child, and how quickly you'll start using those parenting books as footrests.

So just remember - in real life there is no Professional Driver on a Closed Course, because parenting is just a bunch of amateurs on a wild ride.