It's cool to have a baby brother because my baby brother always, always, always, always loves me. He is fun because he lets me play with him.

(We asked Alan for his perspective, and sadly, Alan doesn't agree.)

Alan: "I don't love her because she always doesn't want to play with me. I don't really love her. She never wants to play with me. I always want to play with her and she says no.")

Nevertheless ...

When he says things like that, he makes me sad because I think he wants to be alone. I don't like to be alone. Alan lets me be alone and I am not happy because I don't have anyone to play with me. It's important to have people to play with. Here are 8 reasons I fight with my brother and 5 reasons I kind of love him. They are:

I'm not going to lie to you all and tell you that I was always punctual, but becoming a parent has put a whole new spin on my excuses for being late to meetings, lunches, parties, and appointments.

Back in the day, I was late because of normal stuff, you know, my hair didn't look just right, my alarm clock didn't go off, there was traffic on 95. When my kids were babies, it was explosive diarrhea, Exorcist-style spit-ups, and tantrums that all seemed to happen within moments of us leaving.

Now, between me barely keeping my head on straight and my kids being out of their minds, it's excuses like this:

Sorry I'm late but ...

It's enough to make any mom a little nutso ...Are your kids driving you bonkers? Will one more “I’m hungry” or “she’s touching me” or “that’s mine” send you over the cliff of sanity? Are you often left wondering if your children are engaging in normal childhood shenanigans, or if they have behavioral problems that need addressing? Then you might need a parenting coach.

These non-licensed “experts” can help stressed out parents get a grip on their family life. Like your own personal Supernanny, parenting coaches can act as “both chipper cheerleader and straight-talking sage, rather than proponents of a particular parenting philosophy.” They can also help you with behavior modification and/or setting realistic expectations.

Everyone knows that you’re not supposed to have a favorite child. Let’s be honest -- there are days when you can’t help but like one of your kids more than their siblings. I’m all of a sudden reminded of the road trip we took a few years ago when our youngest wasn’t quite 2. Eight hours is a long time to scream in the backseat, and I’m pretty sure we liked her big sister better that day.

That’s a fair and natural part of parenting. Other times it will occur when one child needs more attention, like when you have a newborn in the house, or a child has special needs. But what happens when these favoritisms turn into the rule rather than being circumstantial and short-lived?

It seems like, as parents, we all want easy answers. We want to know what the best way is to get our babies to sleep without making them sad. We want to know how to potty train them without making them hate the bathroom. We want them to dress modestly, but also express their individuality. Yes, we all want perfection. Which is why it's not surprising that there is currently a conversation on CafeMom about what the "perfect" number of children is for most families.

Sadly, the answer is not that simple. There is no one "perfect" number of kids. And there is really no way of knowing how many kids you can handle and be happy with until you have them. Yeah, yeah. It's so fun.

This is why the idea that having one child is "selfish" is truly so obnoxious. In fact, if you know you can only handle one and only be a good parent to one, then it's about the most UNSELFISH choice you can make. It's the right choice for your kid. In other families, that number could be higher.

Disaster. Total Disaster.I find myself in a pickle in regard to my daughters’ room. Two daughters, one room, one catastrophic mess. Now I’m normally the type of parent to choose my battles, and so long as there’s nothing growing out of the hamper or under the bed, I’d be inclined to let them live in the chaos. Unfortunately, because there are two of them, the parenting gets a bit trickier than letting them live with the consequences of their actions (or inactions, in this case).

Here’s the dilemma: I have an Odd Couple situation on my hands. My nine-year-old is more fastidious; she likes to have things in their place, and is easily upset when her world is disrupted. The four-year-old, on the other hand, has affectionately been nicknamed The Destroyer for her penchant for, well, destroying things.

Babies found dead in cars due to heat stroke is, sadly, far too common. But most of the cases end the same -- a frantic run to the car by a father (or mother) followed by horror and shock. This story out of Miami is so much worse.

One might ask how any story that ends with a dead 6-month-old in an overheated car can get worse. Here's how: It was the baby girl's 6-year-old brother who found the body. My fingers ache just typing those words and my heart breaks for the little boy.

It seems his father had dropped him off at school that morning and then forgotten to drop his baby sister off, so when he returned to pick him up, his baby sister was still strapped into the seat. She couldn't be revived.

Unless you have only one child, parents should never tell anyone that they have a favorite. Ever.

As for putting that in writing? You may as well kick one kid out to the curb and wish him good luck in life.

Canadian dad Buzz Bishop recently wrote a column in which he explained he has a favorite kid. He loves both his sons equally, but his 5-year-old is his favorite simply because he can do more things than his 2-year-old.

Buzz goes on to say that everyone has a favorite kid, whether they'll admit it or not. And as long as you're not acting on it by giving preferential treatment to one over the other, it's fine.