He isn't going to go to college...

As a new mother, there are plenty of things that you freak out about. What you don't anticipate is that, after you move onto your second and even third (however many you have), there are still things that unnecessarily throw you into a tizzy.

My mother (who is my own my personal Yoda - only without being small, old and green) has brought me back to reality on more than one occasion. See, I have this tendency to blow things wildly out of proportion. She is kind of like my insanity antidote. Wise she is, yes.

Example:

When we were transitioning C to a sip cup, I started panicking because he wasn't getting the hang of tipping up the cup. After a few days of sip cup failures, I called my mother to see how she had taught us to drink from a cup.

Laura: (in a frantic, worried tone) He isn't tipping up the cup! He just sucks on the spout and gets upset because nothing comes out! How do I teach him to tip it up?! What should I do?! He shouldn't be using a bottle anymore!

Laura's Mom: (in a calm, Yoda-like tone) Laura, he'll get the hang of it. He won't go to college drinking from a bottle - at least not a baby bottle. Why don't you try giving him a straw cup that he doesn't have to tip up?

Laura: (now starting to breathe normally) Oh, I didn't think of trying a straw cup. That's a good idea!

There have been many similar conversations throughout C's life thus far. Topics have ranged from C not wanting to eat regular table food to potty training C with his refusal to wear underwear. Her wisdom usually boils down to reminding me that he isn't going to go to college eating baby food or wearing diapers.

But I thought that when I had my second and third children, I would know everything I need to know and I would no longer be making these frantic calls to my mother. Silly Laura. That would mean that every baby is the same. New kid equals new challenges equals more frantic phone calls to my Yoda-like saint of a mother!