But I Don't Want to Be a Pushover!

Like many women, I had a lot of ideas before I became a mom about what kind of mom I'd be. I was sure, for example, that I wouldn't carry my child around all day just because she wants to be held. I didn't want to spoil her. I didn't want her to think that the world would give her everything she wants whenever she wants it, because as we all know, that's not the way the world works. Not giving in to a constant desire to be held was going to be lesson No. 1.

Now that I am a mom, I realize putting down a baby who doesn't want to be set down isn't that easy. Sometimes, her little lower lip comes out and she whimpers. Other times, it's a full-on, gut-wrenchin', guilt-trippin' wail that begins the second her little fanny touches the floor. How can I not give in?