10 Reasons

You can pick your friends, but you can't choose your family, and maybe that's the greatest thing about having siblings. Whether you love them or not, they keep showing up at the dinner table and family functions. Having a sister, brother, or both forces a child to deal with peers on a daily basis. Sure, backseat wars have been waged and sibling rivalry exists, but the bonds that are formed wrestling each other over the television remote or laughing till your bellies ache are ones you can't replicate. As the second child of four who will soon give birth to my third baby, I believe that the greatest gift you can give your kid is another one — check out all my completely biased reasons why!

"Mommy! She has big chi chis!" My 2-year-old daughter shouted this at a woman behind us in the airport security line. I quickly responded, "Yes honey. If you are good and eat all of your lunch, you can have your 'chi chis' for a special treat. They are in the backpack." Pursing his lips to contain his laughter, my husband surveyed the situation and looked at our completely confused child and said, "That's right. Mommy's got the candy in her bag." Candy was all she needed to hear to get her mind off of the huge "chi chis," and our embarrassing moment was over. We got quite a few good ones from our readers, and I've recently heard some other goodies worth sharing. Tell us some of your own in comments.

Traveling with youngsters is no easy feat, especially when mama is the only adult in her party. Though the time on board is usually short, a screaming infant and scowling travelers in a cramped space can make it seem like an eternity. When all of the words of travel wisdom have failed, fellow flyers often make their displeasure known with less than complimentary comments. Though we find most jet-setters to be more kind than not, here are some of the toughest zingers we've heard. What's the worst you've gotten?

Expectant ladies riding the emotional pregnancy roller coaster often get excited about decorating their nursery, and then start to worry about entering the unknown territory of motherhood. Have no fear, those worries are usually for naught, and new mommies typically find their way using intuition and accepting helping hands. If she needs encouragement, here are 10 reasons why she should welcome her new world.

Some working women stress over maternity leave. There are projects to finish and deadlines to meet before baby can make its debut. But, once a soon-to-be mom preps her paperwork, tidies up her desk and bids the office good-bye, it will be a while before she yearns to go back. Whether your leave is just days, a few weeks or several months, it's an incredible time for you to create some of life's most fond memories with your child. Forget the horror stories you might have heard and check out the most wonderful aspects of taking time off.

Nothing prepares you for parenthood. Ready or not, they place the newborn babe in your arms and you fall in love. Moms and dads understand this, but not everyone else does. Schools use various projects to prep students on the responsibilities of raising children, but none come close. Even couples test out their skills in ways they feel are comparable and are usually shocked by the real deal. Check out the reasons why none of the common practices come close.

Taking a small family vacation can be fun and relaxing, but it can also be exciting to holiday with other families. If the couples agree on parenting philosophies and a destination, the outcome can be heavenly. Mommies and daddies share the load of cooking, bathing, and playing with the kids — giving each other a rest. And, the tots relish in having travel buddies.

There are tons of darn good reasons to be a stay-at-home mom. The same can be said for moms who go back to work. I'm back on the job and loving it. Check out my slideshow to see my top ten reasons why.

Everyone has a vision of the perfect mom, particularly new mothers who just want to be the best for their children. I was no different when my daughter was born — I tried to juggle it all without breaking a sweat. And then my son arrived, and my life fell into perfectly magical disarray. So I cut myself some slack and learned to live in the moment rather than worrying about what I wasn't achieving in my role. To see a few of the reasons why I will never be a perfect mother, check out the slideshow.