A study by Today.com that suggests three is the most stressful number of children to have. A mom of three explains that the stress level increases when it comes to things like crossing the street, versus two kids. But I have four kids, and to the best of my recollection, I don't recall sprouting an extra arm when that last child arrived.

In my life, I have enjoyed 15 Mother's Days. The first one got off to a bit of a rocky start, (let's just say there's a certain man in my life who wil...

I'm starting to accept that all the research in the world can't prepare you for the day-to-day realities of parenting, and that the parent you hope to be isn't necessarily the parent you will be when you are faced with the child you end up with -- who is, after all, an individual in his or her own right. What matters is that I am the right mother for him, and he is the perfect child for me.

"My daughter is 11 years old.The boys and the girls at school call her names that shouldn't even exist. They tell her she's ugly, that her face is like a pancake smothered in poop. They have created a 'We hate Brittany' club. I tell myself all the time -- 'this has to stop. And it has to stop now. Today.' But it never does."

Recently I was asked if I ever worried that I was putting my children at risk for developing eating disorders by being so open and honest about my own. The truth is that they always knew their mom was a bit "different," they just didn't know why. I may have convinced myself that they were oblivious to my disorder, but how could that be true when we'd be walking out the door to go for dinner and one of them would ask, "Are you eating today, Mommy, or just watching?" or they'd shout, "Look, Mommy's a dinosaur!" because the bones of my spine would poke out so sharply from under my skin.

Max James Murphy, you sneaky rascal. How are you growing up so darn fast? You are four years old today. I am in awe. When people asked how old you...

No pain could have cut deeper than when my son told me he didn't know how it felt to be happy, when I was doing everything in my power to give him the best life I could. You just can't prepare for that. My job was to love him desperately, and never to give up hope. I did the best I could.

Oh! how easy it would be to just hide under the covers and ignore the bad guys. Pretending it would all go away it we just make a simple wish. But life is far better lived in 3-D. Lived in colour. Lived out loud, and very, very large.

The thought of entering a public bathroom with your kid is more than you can bear. Have no fear the next time this scenario presents itself. There are, thankfully, some very simple tips and strategies that parents can use. Following are the top five ways to deal with public bathrooms when out with the kids.

Hockey Parents, judging parents, Downton Abbey withdrawal, energy shots and Margaret Thatcher all caught my attention this week. 1. This is a classi...

I turn to my daughter. She is 14, and busy perfecting the act of looking at once both pensive and haughty. Finally she admits something. "I'm thinking about the bus. You said you wanted to teach me to ride the public bus. That I need to be more independent." I did say that...

To most parents Toddlers & Tiaras is so offensive that we can hardly watch it, let alone relate to it. While this may be obvious to many, what we often fail to see are the grains of these behaviours "normal" parents may engage in. Here are the top five lessons all parents can take from these pageant-parents in order to help their daughters build authentic and long-lasting self-esteem.

Some families have a chore board or a swear jar -- we have a yelling chart. Some days I have the most blocks on the yelling chart but some days I win the best mommy ribbon. I know my mothering isn't prefect but I'm not failing either. I'm trying.

There is a picture of a mama and her kids at the park. The kids are happily playing on the playground equipment while the mom checks a message on her phone. What could she be doing? Could a very important phone call just have come in? And who are we to judge?

The reality of being called "mom" or "dad" means that you're gonna have to bend the truth somewhat. The lies parents tell their kids range from the ridiculous to the sublime. These lies can range from a simple white lie to a real doozy. It's all just a matter of scale. Whatever it takes, right?

As the boss of your family, you will likely find a mission statement handy, if for no other reason than to remind yourself of what you were thinking when you brought these people into the world. And why you shouldn't take them out. Corporately, a mission statement should address the employees, the shareholders, and the customers. Here's a quick primer on adapting those three categories to family life.

I am pretty honest in my photo representation of my life with my children on Facebook. I posted many pictures of my screaming newborns, and when my children are doing something particularly impertinent, I'll post that too. It's not lying to post a happy-looking picture that isn't really representative. It's not misleading.

You never really know what kind of youngster you've got until you test him out in the real world. Our recent trip to Orlando confirmed that our little junior is quite the joiner. We shouldn't be surprised by his courage, I suppose. His nickname is Turbo Ginger for god sakes.