Goal #1

I've said since Bub was born that the GOAL was to keep him alive til he is 18 and then he is on his own. Until then I will do everything in my power to achieve that goal. Everything outside of the goal is just a bonus. It might sound caviler but let me tell you that babies and children have no self preservation skills and will try at every turn to thwart this goal. I've had new parents-to-be laugh in my face when I've described the goal. They don't understand and really can't until they actually have a baby trying her hardest to fall off the bed or choke to death on the smallest thing she can find or leap off the highest thing he can climb on and I'm sure one day try to make it the roof. Children, babies especially, are not helpful in achieving the goal and that's why I tend to subscribe to the Whatever Works style of parenting.

Because as I look at it if the following questions are met with a yes, then I can chalk the day up to being successful:
Have you had food today?
Have you been hydrated in some way?
Have you had the option of wearing clothes? (This one gets tricky at the toddler stage when they seem to feel clothing is optional.)

How another parents has decided to feed, hydrate and clothe their bundles of joy is really up to them.  I'm at my house doing my own thing trying to keep my two in a state of relative state of upkeep and trying not to give them too much to talk about in therapy later in life.