The days are long and complications abound—there are many, many things we must get our children to do, or stop them from doing—all day, every day. Add the fact that children don’t always listen to us, or do the things we want them to do, and you can understand why parenting is a challenge!

My mommy had breast cancer and she survived. I guess that sounds kind of funny coming from an adult, but it’s just the way I felt when my mom was diagnosed. She was only 37 years old; I was 12. Each year as October rolls around and Breast Cancer Awareness Month shines the spotlight on this devastating disease, my family is reminded how lucky we are to still have our family in tact.

From the moment your child wakes up in the morning he is slowly using up the benefits of the previous night's sleep. He wakes up refreshed, but as the hours pass, the benefits of sleep time are used up, and an urge to return to sleep builds. When we provide naps, we allow a child a "fresh start" after each sleep period.