Mother's Day Special Guide for Moms from Moms: "Don't You Hate it When..."

Don't you hate it when... you can't brush your teeth in the morning because there's an ogre floating in your bathroom sink, and imperative cries warn you'll stunt his growth if you remove him, even for a moment? Don't you hate it when... the yogurt and eggs you bought for breakfast are the same yogurt and eggs your toddler decided to finger paint with- all over your kitchen floor? Don't you hate it when... the family cat dies atop your laundry pile, and you have to explain to your child why you can't "just leave her there?"

Such is the life of a mom. It seems these endearing moments always happen when you're most busy, most stressed, or most tired, i.e., most not directing all of your attention to those beloved children of yours. No, of course you don't hate it when you find an ogre floating in your sink. As a mom, you've learned to be unusually flexible and will brush your teeth using the backyard hose if that's what it takes to accommodate that growing ogre in your sink. You love toddler art and no matter that rumble in your stomach will stop to take photos before cleaning up the kitchen floor and contemplating a replacement breakfast. You may suffer angst at explaining death rituals to a young child, but embrace pragmatism: at least that child can understand the difficulty of putting clothes into a washing machine when a cat- dead or alive- is lying on top of them.

The best advice for dealing with the stresses of motherhood is this.

Be flexible. When the kids are at the end of their ropes and the pasta you were rushing to serve for dinner just slid down the drain, announce that tonight is backwards night and serve ice cream sundaes as the first course.

Be joyous. When you're rushing to beat the school start bell and your child sits down to explore an anthill, sit down with him. He'll learn more from the spontaneous exploration than he would have at school, and your enthusiasm will encourage his lifelong interest in learning.

Have a sense of humor. When you ask your child to get dressed and she turns to you, plastic toy telephone in hand, saying, "Sorry, Mommy, I'm on the phone," laugh.

And, finally, give yourself the breaks you need and deserve. When the sink's full of dirty dishes, buy paper plates.