If you're a sensitive person who remembers being a kid, you probably have lots of ideas about how not to conduct yourself as a parent or adult. I certainly did, and many of those ideas inform my parenting. How can I put this nicely? Until you have your own kids, these ideas are just confetti.

Sometimes people say laughable things about kids, or my kids. Rarely do people with kids do this. Childless people often show knowledge and understanding. But when an ignorant and risible comment comes up, it's almost always from a non-parent.

Children experiment with all sorts of disturbing and anti-social behaviors. Mine, too. To many childless experts, this is a reaction to my disability.