I love this picture. Mom’s rushing out of the house, baby Lexi is scarlet and everyone has a sense of panic.

Back then, my daughter’s crying could reduce me to tears. With her younger sister, I’d calmly put her down, let her chill out (or not) and keep moving forward.

My two favorite baby mantras to remind myself that nothing is wrong…

• Babies cry
• When they are crying, they are alive

Here’s another good scene. My first solo overnight trip with my daughter. She’s wearing my hoodie because she just barfed her Mac & Cheese all over herself, her car seat and our van. Good times!

This was a key moment for me. I knew that I could quit and no one would blame me. Instead, Lex and I decided to stick with our plan to overnight and visit the zoo. She still talks about the bad Mac & Cheese – it was orange and man (!) did it stink!

When you’re in the craziness of the day to day, be sure to look around and see the progress that you will make.

Give your kids what your parents need.