A Parent's Toolkit

As a parent, I've been called on to not only come up with creative solutions to problems I never even would have thought of, but to implement those solutions with some measure of grace. The solutions are to save my sanity. The grace is because I have a feeling that children, like animals, can smell fear. If you don't believe me, go substitute at your nearest high school. As a result of these solutions, I've come up with a parent's toolkit, a list of items every parent should have on hand and be ready to use on a moment's notice.

Duct tape. Need I say more? I can't even begin to list the tragedies that have been avoided in this house with the use of a bit of duct tape. I use the cheap version for the small jobs and save the good stuff for the really interesting jobs.

Vinegar. Not only is this a great natural cleaner to use, but it comes in handy for other things, like clearing the house of kids. Here's how it works. If you have a houseful of kids who just aren't taking the hint that it's time to go home, run some vinegar through your coffee pot or heat a bit of it on the stove. When the kids ask what the smell is, just tell them you're making dinner.

Needle and thread. Now, you might be thinking that you don't plan to sew anything. If so, you obviously haven't been confronted by the broken hearted child carrying his favorite teddy bear that has a fatal injury. Trust me, you don't need any sewing skills for this. The stuffing in stuffed animals triggers about the same thing in a child as their own blood. You just need to make it stop coming out. You might also be surprised at how many other toys a needle and thread can fix, not to mention rips in jeans, comforters, favorite blankies and so on.

Glue. Glue is a parent's best friend. Keep in mind that there are different types of glue. In my house we have glue sticks, school glue, hot glue and even a glue that comes with a catalyst. Glue is one of those things that can stop the crying faster than you ever thought possible. It makes the kids feel better too!

Headphones. These are solely for your sanity. When the kids are playing and not doing anything wrong, but you need a break from the noise, headphones are just the thing. You might even be able to give the kids a dose of their own medicine as belt out your favorite song- completely off key of course.

Bubble bath. Sometimes you just need to step into your own world. Lock the bathroom door and go for a nice hot soak with some soothing bubbles. Bubble bath can also help a parent by being the thing that makes a child want to go ahead and jump in the tub at bath time.