I Blinked and He Was Gone

Whenever I walk by or glance at my mailbox, I still feel nauseous eight years later. I remember the rock by the mail box post that he used to love to stand on because he loved the feeling of almost falling, of losing his balance. I removed the rock not only because it attracted him to that spot, but because it made me physically ill just looking at it. Last month was the eight year anniversary marking the day my son missed being hit by a lawn maintenance truck by mere inches.

No Toddler Ever Starved from Stubbornness

NOTE: Originally published at Crassparenting.com

It took a fair amount of biochemistry to have my first child, so I wanted to be sure I did everything the right way. After she was born, I was one of those extremely neurotic parents who had to everything 'just so.' I breastfed for twelve months and my daughter never had a bottle of formula. I introduced solid foods at six months. I made my own baby food from organic veggies and fruits. I was sold a bill of goods that good eating habits started at birth. If you took care to make sure your child developed a taste for healthy food from the start, you wouldn't have to worry about them being picky eaters or junk food junkies.

Wrong.