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Growing up, I just hated to admit when my mom was right. Maybe it was my being defiant, or just the fact that, during adolescence, I (thought I) knew it all. But now, as a first-time mom, I find myself turning to her more and more for answers when it comes to finding the balance of life, parenting, and doing it all in a 24-hour day.

As a Rookie Mom, I have learned to appreciate the little life lessons that she somehow always seems to have in her back pocket. No matter whether the problem is big or small, she knows when to chime in and when to just let me figure it out on my own, just as she did so many times when I was growing up.

The other day, my mom saw me standing near the garbage can, about to do my famous "Onesie Toss." "Child, what are you doing?" she asked, curious. I explained that it was my method for dealing with those very poopy clothes that I know I won't be able to "get the evidence out of." She polietly laughed and said, "You do know that I have a method of getting that out ,and have been using this stuff for years." I told her that if she could save the outfit I would let her have the baby for the rest of the day. Then, right before my eyes, she pulled out the OxiClean and -- bam! --  problem solved. And Grandma went to enjoy the rest of the day with the little tyke.

No one has ever said that motherhood was easy, and I may not always have the answers, but I know that somehow I will always be learning from my little girl -- and my mom -- one diaper at a time.

I hope that as I raise my daughter that she comes to realize that I may not always be right, but maybe I did know what I was talking about from time to time. My advice to new mothers -- including myself  -- is this: Listen to your own Mother. She really does know what she is talking about!