Baby Time: It's Bored O'Clock

Wait, let me check my watch. And by "watch" I mean "level of boredom." Yes, according to my watch it seems that it's time to go. 

Parenting Tip: A bored baby is an unhappy baby. And an unhappy baby is one that makes you look like a horrible parent by wailing uncontrollably in public.

Photo credit & thanks to Sarika Chawla and Aaron Rigby.

Baby's First Steps ... Are Awesome

Oh man, I'm walking! Holy crap this is awesome!

The process of growing up is often a double-edged sword for parents. On the one hand, the ability to walk means that you can no longer put your child down in one place and expect them to still be there when you return. Additionally, a mobile child is one that you inevitably be chasing throughout your life. On the other hand, learning to walk means that they're that much closer to leaving your house and letting you have some peace and quiet again.

Baby's First Manifestation of His Impending Alcoholism

No, you're f***ing wasted!

Parenting Tip: Do not give your baby little sips of beer or wine, in the purported style of many French parents, thinking you're raising them to drink responsibly. Not only is it illegal, what you are in fact doing is training your baby to be an alcoholic. Or you're raising them to be French. Frankly, it's hard to say which is the less forgivable sin.

Cute-Off: Dogs Versus Babies

Wait... did you just say that my hair is messier than the dog's? Well whose friggin' fault is that, people? Not my fault. Not unless I can now just drive myself to SuperCuts, you cheap bastards.

Parenting Tip: Since dogs will never understand what you say exactly, and can't talk back, you should probably just tell your children that you love them more than the family pet, even if you obviously don't.

When Babies Have Bad Days

I may not be able to put a sentence together yet, but all I need is two words: F**k. You.

Parenting Tip: Sometimes babies have bad days, too, just like normal adult-type people. The difference between your bad days and theirs is that they still have a chance of having some good days in the future.

Of Suicidal Tendencies And Kiddie Pools For Babies

Let's be honest here: this pool sucks. I am not going to have fun in an inflatable pool filled with a half-inch of water. I mean, there's not even a remote possibility that I could drown myself. Where's the excitement?

Parenting Tip: Your fear of killing your baby is natural. Because your baby might die if you look away for just one second. Remember how "I just took my eyes off him for a second" is always the distraught mother's excuse for baby death and/or baby kidnapping on the news as well as basically every Lifetime movie in which bad things happen to babies? It's true that it often seems like our precious, precious offspring have a death wish or suicidal tendencies. In fact, they are simply dumb. Existential crises and suicidal thoughts are something you have to look forward to mostly in the teen years. Do be aware that your fear of killing your baby will result in him/her having an insanely sheltered life and ultimately destroy any chance s/he has at happiness, independence and personal fulfillment.

Let Me Eat Cake

He can't see me eating his cake, right? What? He's not going to miss it: the cake's bigger than his head.

Parenting Tip: Babies don't really "eat" so much as they "grab." And babies figure that whatever can be grabbed can be eaten, or otherwise it would run away or something. It's an evolutionary biology thing. Just trust us on this. Babies will stick whatever they can grab into their mouth, whether it's someone else's cake, paint chips or pearl earrings. And they do not give a crap whether it's theirs to eat or not. Never have, never will. They're babies...they're selfish like that.

Baby's First Massacre

You thought it was a good idea to dress as the gun-toting hillbilly herder of the plains and dress me as a victim of your genocide? That is really f**ked up! 

Parenting Tip: Father-son bonding should occur over sports and/or beer and/or car repair. It should never involve matching outfits...unless you want your child to be in therapy for the rest of his life....in which case, it should do the trick quite nicely.

The Playground and the Hay Bale

Okay this is annoying. Who the hell put a haybale by my playground? Not good planning, people.

Parenting Tip: Getting between a baby and his playground is just asking for trouble.

To Spit Up or Not To Spit Up

Not gonna spit up, not gonna spit up ...

Parenting Tip: Most babies are born with the ability to projectile vomit like something out of The Exorcist. Cover yourself appropriately.