10 Reasons

We purchase family vehicles for safety, size, and price, and then put the pedal to the metal and coast through life. Moms forget that cars are much like homes where children grow up.

1. They carry our babies home from the hospital.
2. Despite excitement and anxiety, our kids get out of them for their first day of school.
3. Classmates hop in, and we know our children have found friends.
4. It's a rare place for uninterrupted conversation.
5. We're the fly in the driver's seat when our kids chat with their siblings and peers.
6. Wars are waged and settled in the backseat.
7. We blast the radio and sing off key as a family.
8. Cars are worn in with memories — sand in the carpet from Summer at the lake and a ski nick on the roof from a weekend in the snow.
9. We see our children every day, but when we catch glimpses of them in the rearview mirror it still makes us wonder where time went.
10. And, one day we will hand over the keys.

Motherhood is amazing and . . . a mess! It's truly one cleanup after another. Women expect there will be an extra load of laundry or additional dishes that come with having kids, but until the children arrive, mamas really have no idea what is in store or will be on the floor! Here are some of the down and dirty tasks most moms never anticipate.

1. When your kid has a cold, the tub, their pillowcases, and their sleeves are not immune to nasal drip.
2. Wrappers and remnants of everything from peanut butter sandwiches to forgotten gummy bears stick to the car's floor mats or get wedged between the seats.
3. Numerous treasures will be hidden beneath a child's mattress or bed.
4. Stock up on sheets or use the "toss" method during flu season. Tired kiddos get sick in their sleep.
5. Once it's been turned on its head, a toy bin can stretch across an entire house.
6. The couch is a gold mine for pencils, lollipop sticks, small toys, and crumbs.
7. Babies aren't old enough to remember their bottles so the forgotten containers of curdled milk are common.
8. Your son is potty trained, but his aim might be off. Pee pools around the base of the toilet.
9. No one notices a popsicle drip or sand spills until bare feet hit the floor.
10. Popcorn and Pirate's Booty have to be picked up by hand or they can clog the vacuum.

Do you have any cleanups to add to this list?

We live in a connected world. It seems like every member of the family has some tie to technology, even the wee ones. Here are some signs:

1. Your fetus has a domain name.
2. You choreograph her labor and delivery to an iPod playlist.
3. Your tot's favorite toy is the DVR remote.
4. A childhood milestone is becoming part of the mobile "family plan."
5. Your youngster throws "screen time" tantrums.
6. Your daughter tells you about her day via Facebook and instant messenger.
7. You text your husband reminders throughout the day.
8. You vent to your mom friends on Twitter.
9. Your babe bobs his head to the beat of your iPhone ring.
10. You kiddos think all phones have cameras.
11. Your tot doesn't have an imaginary friend, but a virtual one.
12. Your son goes to baseball practice on the Wii.
13. The kids ask Santa for wireless.
14. Your tweens have Kindles instead of library cards.
15. Your children love to sit down and get nostalgic scrolling through their baby blog.

The relationship between mothers and their daughters is an incredibly strong one. Moms raising girls have the power to shape the next generation of women and those to come by teaching their kids important lessons.

1. That confidence and independence are beautiful.
2. That size doesn't matter, but wasting her time worrying about it does.
3. That brilliance should never be downplayed.
4. That emotions are liberating so she should go ahead and laugh, cry or scream.
5. To always have enough money to pay her own way, but to be gracious when someone else treats. And to be generous with what she has.
6. To not make age an excuse for her actions.
7. That "mean girls" are really just insecure.
8. That she has an amazing power to make a difference in life.
9. To actively pursue her dreams especially those that seem unattainable.
10. That the love she will give and receive is limitless.

There's a special bond between mothers and sons. Women raising boys have the power to shape the next generation of men and those to come by teaching their kids important lessons.

1. To express his emotions because bottling them up eventually makes a person explode.
2. To say "ladies first," hold doors open for women, and give his date the jacket off his back when he or she is cold because the world is moving forward in wonderful ways but that doesn't mean chivalry has to die.
3. To put the toilet seat down after he pees, change his sheets frequently, learn to cook, and do laundry.
4. To channel his energy through sports, art, dance, the written word — whatever his passion may be.
5. That even the biggest fight should be settled with the mind rather than fists.
6. That not following the group doesn't make him a loser, but his own leader.
7. To stick up for the underdog even if it makes him an outcast.
8. That he has the power to make an amazing difference in life.
9. To worry less about whether she's proud of him and more about having pride in himself.
10. Smiles are free so be generous with them.

Moms love their kids but that doesn't mean they don't miss privacy in certain circumstances. Modesty is lost when a woman gives birth and many assume it's gone for good. That keeps mothers longing for a handful of things that they used to take for granted. Oh, the dream of doing such simple things alone:

1. Take a shower without small fists beating on the door because someone has to pee or needs the channel changed.
2. Go to the bathroom at home without getting a bath because a lil friend is pretending to wash their hands in the sink with an entire bottle of liquid soap.
3. Go to a public restroom without having to hold the door shut with one leg (because your tot is trying to open it) and repeatedly reminding your kiddos that "not touching anything" includes the sanitary napkin disposal, the toilet paper dispenser, and the flusher.
4. Try on clothing in a dressing room without having to share the space with a stroller and three kids.
5. Being able to check the way the items fit in the mirror without your son peeking under the divider at the woman in the next dressing room and your daughter poking at fat you didn't realize you had.
6. To sleep without bumping into someone that slipped into your bed during the night because they had a bad dream.
7. To wake up naturally instead of having clammy fingers tug your eyelids open because, "It's time to get up!"
8. To talk on the phone without toy sirens blaring or a wee World War III breaking out.
9. To have a conversation without someone pulling on your pant leg saying, "Excuse me. Excuse me." Or put their hand down your shirt, or restyle your hair with their sticky hands.
10. Take a nap without the kids speculating that you are sick or dying.

Some new moms rush out and befriend fellow mothers once baby arrives, and other women just keep the same friends they've always had. Sure, it's comforting to chat about life with someone in a similar stage, but there's a big bonus in sticking with your single friends and keeping them close to your family. Here are some of the benefits:

1. When you tell the kids that their "Auntie" is coming over, they squish their faces against the window and line the front door like it's a red carpet!
2. She loves to give piggy back rides, partake in pillow fights, and doesn't mind marker tattoos.
3. She welcomes your tots with open arms because she isn't toting all kinds of baby baggage!
4. She loves to babysit or borrow your kids to test out her maternal skills without all of the responsibility.
5. Children reap the reward of having another adult (who isn't a parent) to talk to about issues.
6. She still has her train of thought intact and can lead you through a conversation no matter how many times it gets interrupted.
7. The novelty of changing diapers, repeatedly reading the same story, and tucking tots into bed hasn't worn off for her yet.
8. No matter what the occasion, her gift and presence are unrivaled.
9. You don't have to schedule hanging out around nap time, mood swings, or her meals.
10. You get to live vicariously through her when she fills you in on her latest date, a spontaneous trip, or pulling an all-nighter (that doesn't involve someone getting sick or having a nightmare).

Photo courtesy of New Line

Having a baby changes a mom's life, but the bundle of joy also alters the way she looks at the world and lives each day. Here are some of the purest perks that come with being a mother.

1. You see everything for the first time again through the child's eyes — even ants are amazing.
2. A single gummy smile can save even the biggest wreck of a day.
3. When the infant fusses, your mere presence calms him.
4. If you rest your child on your chest, your hearts beat in unison.
5. When he laughs, he shakes, drools, and almost keels over, but it's the most adorable thing you've ever seen. So you make him do it again and again.
6. You think about the future in bigger and brighter ways. You picture him heading off to kindergarten and graduating from high school.
7. You anticipate and even dream of little things like a cutting tooth, a single step, or a two syllable utterance: "mama."
8. You forget about things you used to care so much about, because they actually don't matter at all.
9. You finally understand what "a mother's instinct" means.
10. Your will to live intensifies because you don't want to miss a moment of your child's spectacular life.

How has your baby made your life better?

They call it funky love. Last night's "My Funky Valentine" episode of Modern Family sure beat a box of chocolates and a vase of roses. It was full of familial situations that would make any mom laugh to the point of tears. Here are the highlights:

• Cam dresses Lily up as cupid and Mitchell dismisses her costume as a cut-up boa. Cam replies, "We re-purposed it. It was a Bob Mackie meets Martha Stewart project."
• Dylan hands Claire a rose and says, "All women should look as tasty as you when they are old."
• Phil and Claire realize that Dylan's gift to Haley isn't a painting, but a scanned photo of him shirtless lying with her turned into one.
• Claire suggests that she and Phil spice up their date with some role playing and he tries out a few characters — Reginald Applebee, an English gentleman in town for a polo match, an honorable businessman from Hong Kong and a tiger trainer.
• Phil arrives at the hotel bar with a nametag that says "Clive Bixby."

To see the rest of our picks, read more