‘My baby is turning one (or two, or three, or four) in a couple of weeks. I’m planning the party and deciding what kind of cake to make. Do you think it’s okay to let him have some cake?’

This is the kind of question that pops up almost every day in online parenting forums.

It’s also the kind of question that makes me, personally, want to scream.

I try very, very hard not to judge other people’s parenting. Kids don’t come with a manual.

Parenting isn’t a competition!

Navigating parenthood, and particularly early parenthood, can be tricky, and I really do believe that we’re all doing the best we can.

But perhaps it’s that word – best – that’s causing all the problems.

Because, as far as I can tell, there are a lot of parents out there who think parenting is a competition, and the onl

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