Cynthia Lawrence

"1. The staff at all four branches of Starbucks around your office know you on a first name basis, and have your “usual” ready for you the minute you arrive."

The "Mega-Mouth" Mom: You’ll usually be able to hear her before you can see her. Not one to be discreet in her conversations, the whole playground usually knows of her business (and other people’s).

2. Searching for an anti-allergen birthday cake. Back in the day, there was only one birthday cake (usually homemade). All the kids would eat it problem-free, and the only emergency would be little Jack vomiting on a chair. But with today’s abundance of nut, gluten, wheat, egg and you-name-it allergies, vomiting is the least of your worries. Now, your mission is to find a cake (or several) that will not require antihistamines afterwards.

Many people mistake working from home as NOT working at all. I guess I can’t blame their curiosity. How do I fill the typical 48-hour, working week in the comfort of my own home? But if those people managed a challenging workload and a lively toddler simultaneously, they would not even question it!

4. Bring sexy back — Your underwear drawer is starting to resemble your gran's. What happened to the sexy lingerie you used to enjoy buying (a long time ago)?

I guess we are all guilty of gender-typing to some degree. It’s ingrained deep in our subconscious and culture. Everywhere we go: shopping malls, in the media, play groups, schools, public bathrooms — and the list goes on. But is it possible to shift the dialogue when it comes to teaching masculinity to boys?

"So what happens when the split is acrimonious and your friends end up dumping you, too? Suddenly you’re treated as an outcast, and when you bump into them in the street, they pretend they haven’t seen you, even when you’re standing in the next line in Costco!"

Parenting can be challenging . . . at the best of times. So when we end up doing all the things we vowed we would NEVER do when we had our own kids, we often feel like we've failed as parents. Well, guess what? You’re not alone, and it’s OK!

Now, I’m no qualified medic, but surely this was no coincidence.

After the initial shock and panic, it’s easy to wallow in a sea of self-pity (over a bottle of red). But don’t let it be all doom and gloom. Dust yourself off, get your Olivia Pope thinking-cap on and get it ‘handled’.