To the Trenches!

First babies are talkers and gigglers,  
second babies are commando operatives, 
and growing up is an 18-year-long war.

I have observed the commando phenomenon in pairs of young relatives over time, and am reminded of it every day that I try to figure out how to be the best possible parent to my own commando kid (and to keep my sanity when he employs commando tactics on me).

I aim to highlight the battlefield humor as much as possible, as I try to keep my wits with my own commando kid and help us both win the war to get him to adulthood.

Being an Air Force Brat myself and the youngest of five, I’m intimately familiar with the inner workings of the military family unit, and I know mothers particularly are in the trenches with their commandos every day.

There’s a large body of work representing the battle plans of the adults: How to Spank Your Kids So They’ll Do What You Say; How to Get Through the Day Without Pulling Out All of Your Hair; and my personal favorite—One Shot of Whiskey Makes for the Happiest Baby on the Bottle.

I aim to flip the coin and offer advice and training to teach commando kids how to navigate the family ranks with their spirits in tact and hopefully, help parents see the humor—and at times futility—in trying to contain a commando.

To the trenches!