A couple of weeks after we welcomed our sweet baby Madeleine, we decided to take a walk at Discovery Park, a park a couple of blocks from our home in Seattle. The park is huge, and we've only seen a sliver of it. I had been feeling disconnected from my family since I was busy tending to our newborn and trying to recover from a C-section whilst in zombie mode.

I'm a planner. I like to know what I will be doing hourly since my motherly duties, in addition to keeping up with my kids' and husband's schedules, often means the days magically slip away. My husband, on the other hand, loves spontaneity. He could (and has) decide to go camping and leave within the hour. I, on the other hand, can't handle the anxiety of packing everyone up in a hurry.

While my husband is the adventurer, I am the cautious observer. I encourage my kids to try things, while understanding their fears and reservations. Sometimes though, you have to push them to try new things without pushing to the point that you'll end up paying beaucoup bucks for therapy sessions. A mighty fine line parents have to walk, huh?