We’ve all been given advice from other parents about how to better raise our kids. When I say “parents” I’m not referring to my own or even my in-laws, I just mean anyone who falls under the category of parent.

Something happens to us after we give birth giving us permission to pass on every detail, every mistake and how to fix them if someone else’s baby is born one minute later than ours and every minute thereafter.

I found myself doling out unasked for, likely unwanted advice this week to a friend, who was having a hard time helping her child adapt to a new situation.

It was as if because I had once in my life, or once in my child’s life or once in a movie or an episode of The Office, lived through a solution to this problem, I had the answer and I was going to give it.

I was feeling pretty slick about saving the day for this friend, knowing my advice was about to rock her world and anyone she came in contact with, maybe forever.

Then Hanna appeared from the bathroom with a small cut under her chin. I asked her why she was bleeding and she said a swing hit her in the mouth the day before at recess and she had picked at it which caused the bleeding.

Totally believable until a few minutes later she confessed, “Mom, I didn’t get hit with a swing yesterday. I was using Daddy’s razor thingy and it cut my lip.”

Parenting Tip—When your nine year old daughter shaves her face, consider keeping the parenting advice to yourself.