13 Unexpected Things Motherhood Has Taught Me

***Originally published May 5, 2010***

1. Most of the time a kiss really does make it better.

2. Sometimes the best answer is to laugh.

3. Hand-sanitizer gets Silly Putty out of carpet.

4. Never leave powder in your toddler's room during naptime, even if it is in the top dresser drawer much higher than he can reach.

5. The ability to determine if a child has a fever with just my cheek.

6. It is possible to hold the hands of two children with just one of my hands.

7. The knowledge of the entire layout of our local zoo, including the names of many of the animals, such as, "Okay, everybody say bye-bye to Jonathan the lion," or "Hi, Boomer the grizzly bear." or "Look, it's Miles the giraffe over there."

8. The ability to make up arbitrary rules on the fly like, "You only get a band-aid if it's actually bleeding." or "You can only sword fight other children who also have swords."

9. There is really no such thing as toddler-proofed!

10. It is possible to memorize entire children's books and recite them word for word.

11. Disposable swim diapers leak!

12. Never go anywhere without wet wipes.

13. That although it is hard and there are very few vacation or sick days, being a mom is the best job in the world!