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I've made many a screw up as a mother.  Unfortunately, most of these mistakes have occurred with my first child.  To paraphrase the great Erma Bombeck, my first child got me new but he also got the blisters.  Maybe that's the trade off for always getting the new toys first and rarely having to wear hand-me-downs: first kids bear the brunt of their novice parents' foibles. 

Though not a child development expert, my mommy newness has compelled me to become a regular of the parenting sections of the public library and local bookstores.  T. Berry Brazleton and me?  Thick as thieves.  So how did I miss it that children under the age of six don't usually learn by bad example?  And why are children's book authors and educational television programs missing this as well?