Blog Posts by Parentables

No more naps is just the beginning.As a Parentables video blogger, I was recently asked the question: What do you hate most about being a parent?

The easy, obvious answer is sleep deprivation. But the real answer is the fact that life is far more complicated now. Being sleep deprived wouldn't have been that big of a deal before children. So you had a lazy Saturday and took a nap on the couch. That's not an option anymore.

Life is more complicated when you become a parent, because, like it or not, you become a role model. Every little decision you make affects someone else. Everything you do becomes a teaching opportunity.

Read More: 40 Sayings From Your Parents That You Swore You'd Never Use (But Do!)

Ironically, this is also what I love most about being a parent; it forces me to make decisions that make me a better person. And while that makes life harder in the short term, taking the high road eventually provides rewards and happiness that I couldn't have gained by doing the easy thing.

For

How did your child react to Santa?

Last year was our daughter's first Christmas. At only 6 months old, she was fairly oblivious to what was going on. She liked the glittering lights and the sparkly ornaments, but she just didn't really get it. So, when we took her to see Santa, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would she like the long white beard and soft red coat, or would she take one look at the jolly fellow and have a colossal meltdown? We were lucky; she simply stared at him with curiosity and then turned to the camera with a deer in headlights look. But there were no tears, so we considered it a success.

This year, I have no illusions as to what will happen when we plop her down on Santa's lap. Many of you have probably been through the same experience and have the photo to prove it. She will have her head thrown back, her mouth wide open, and while you won't be able to hear it through the photo, you will be able to imagine the sounds of terror as she screams her head off. In anticipation of our visit,

Try new recipes to keep your kids busy.
I'll admit it - I was petrified of my oldest son being home from school for a solid week during Thanksgiving break. I adore spending time with him, but he and his little brother usually play well together for about 30 minutes before they resort to various forms of physical and psychological torture. To my surprise, a few faithful stand-by activities have kept them both relatively uninjured, entertained and (gasp!) enjoying each other's company (I do recognize that most older kids and teens would probably scoff at some of these, but pre-school and early elementary-aged kids will be thrilled).

1. Cooking: Shockingly, it turns out that Thanksgiving prep work (no chopping or dicing, naturally) is actually enjoyable to young children. They especially love dumping ingredients in the bowl and seeing how they mix together, plus I've managed to incorporate a few handy lessons on measurement in the process.

Read More: Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes Your 3-Year-Old Can Make

2. Movie

A healthy diet can help you maintain a healthy pregnancy.

My husband and I are grateful and excited and just anticipating a good healthy pregnancy for me and the baby. That's our prayer. So we're doing everything that we know is within our ability to do that, and we've sought out the counsel of many people who have dealt with high-risk pregnancies. There are many other moms that have been in my situation - I'm not the first one to have experienced preeclampsia by any stretch of the imagination, as I did with my 19 th child, Josie. Other moms have ventured to have another baby after they've had preeclampsia.

It's not definitively known what causes preeclampsia, and it's kind of one of those crazy conditions of pregnancy that strikes about 10 to 15 percent of women. There are some categories of women who tend to have it more often (moms pregnant with multiples, pregnant teens and pregnant women over 40), but there are other women who fall outside of these categories.

More from Michelle: Jim Bob and Michelle on Josie's Hospital

The Marine Corps War Memorial

Any child of a military man or woman can probably relate to the many tidbits of wisdom my father passed down to me over the years. Having served two voluntary tours in Vietnam, Dad was chock full of wisdom and stories from years of being shot at and sleeping with his head in the dirt. Although many non-military children are taught a lot of these same values, my father was privy to experiences that are simply impossible to come by unless you've been on the front lines of a war or combat situation.

In honor of the Marine Corps Birthday (Nov. 10) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11), here are some of the basics of Military Family Boot Camp, which I participated in from the day I was born.

Read More: How My Daughter Learned About War

1. Loyalty. From the day he joined to the day he died, my father was a U.S. Marine, even though he was honorably discharged in 1970. If the rest of us showed this kind of staying power with our friends and careers, imagine what we could accomplish.

Anonymous message boards can help women dealing with miscarriage.

It doesn't matter how statistically common it is for a pregnancy to suddenly fail - when push comes to shove, to a mother a miscarriage is the loss of a child, no matter how teeny-tiny he or she might have been. A recent study revealed that women suffering the aftershocks of pregnancy loss or stillbirth turn to the internet to connect with others familiar with their situation.

I can certainly empathize with these women having lost two babies early in pregnancy myself. My friends were completely sympathetic, but naturally at a loss for understanding the full impact of what had happened, having never lost a pregnancy themselves. Much like the loss of a parent, it's simply not something that a person can truly understand until they go through it personally. In a perfect world, none of my friends would ever be able to empathize with my past situation. Sadly, many of them have since become members of this very unfortunate club.

Read More: Remembering Pregnancy and Infant

For as long as I can remember, I have detested binkies when used by older babies and kids. I always swore up and down that my children would never be reduced to sucking on a piece of plastic to make them happy. Fast-forward to the second night Nicholas was home from the hospital. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING was quieting him down. At my wits end, I reached for a pacifier that a wise friend had given me at a baby shower. He latched onto that thing like Lindsay Lohan to a publicity stunt and never looked back. Three years later, I finally managed to get him to say bye-bye to his beloved.

We all have parenting pet peeves and opinions that we vow, whether silently or out loud, never to break. Here are some famous last words from parents who've since come to know better:

Read More: 40 Sayings from Your Parents That You Swore You'd Never Use (But Do!)

I swore I'd never…

"Stick my kid in front of the T.V. to get things done. I do it all the time now. Bad mommy….bad,

When I wrote about Glenn Beck's astoundingly offensive comments on the Norwegian summer camp shootings back in August, I mused over how we can teach politics to our children without indoctrinating them in ideology.

But politics isn't the only form of indoctrination.

How, for example, is an atheist like me supposed to teach their kids about religion? As someone who has always wished that more families of faith would give their kids a broader understanding (and choice) of both religious and non-religious worldviews, I have to hold myself to the same standard. Just because I believe there is no God and that we'd be better off accepting that fact, does not mean I have the right to impose such a belief on my kids.

Read More: When Principles and Parenthood Collide

On the one hand, I do plan on telling my children how I see the world - which will involve encouraging them to seek evidence for whatever beliefs they come to hold, and inevitably also pointing out the