Jaron Mcgee, a 23-year-old father from Ohio, somehow thought it was a good idea to let his 9-year-old daughter drive their family car in the parking lot of Headlands State Park. I bet you can see where this is going. I'll give you a hint, the story ends with the father in jail for for child endangerment.

A new study has revealed that sleeping in bed with your baby raises the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) significantly. Though in America pediatricians have long recommended that babies sleep on their backs in an empty crib, many parents still choose to co-sleep, especially in the early days when night wakings are frequent and everyone is exhausted. But the study suggests that even parents who co-sleep and take measures to lower the risk of SIDS such as breastfeeding and not smoking or drinking, are making an unsafe choice. 

Yes, the first year of motherhood is hard. When you hear other parents venting about it, they are not exaggerating. It pretty much goes that as soon as you think you have one issue under control, a slew of new difficulties will follow. There is so much to learn and master for both you and your baby, that there really is no respite. Nevermind the intense bouts of teething, ear infections, colds, and other problems that you're likely to experience in this short span of time.

Despite how physically and emotionally taxing it can be, it is incredibly rewarding and humbling in the best of ways.

Doing laundry is one of those never ending chores. It doesn't matter how much laundry you do, there will always be more to come. I rarely see the bottom of my laundry hamper and even when I do, it's only visible for the briefest amount of time before someone goes and puts some dirty clothes in there. I don't like doing laundry. I'd rather be shopping for new clothes than cleaning the ones I already own, but until they make self-cleaning clothes or I can regularly outsource my laundry duties all I can do is make the best of a dirty situation.

I'll tell you what, MacGyver, known for his ability to come up with clever solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems, has got nothing on parents. Anyone who has been an active and participating parent for a minute or more has come up with some clever solutions to all kinds of situations. Parents are master hackers. Parenting hacks should be passed on because they really do make life so much easier.

Dear mom,

Not everyone can say that they have a really good relationship with their mom. I know we may not always see eye-to-eye when it comes to certain things (like religion and politics), but in the end I always know that I can count on you no matter what. You're not just an exceptional mother to my siblings and I, but also my best friend.  I'm so grateful to have been blessed with a mom like you and with Mother's Day just a few days away I thought I'd take this time to thank you for all the amazing things you've done for me.