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Not being much of a thrill seeker, I had no idea that my natural reaction to roller coasters is to scream continually and laugh hysterically until tears run down my face. A recent ride on Space Mountain was as entertaining to my family was it was to me (and only slightly embarrassing).

We printed maps to our hotel and hit the road, bound for a family vacation in Washington, DC. We hadn’t planned where to go or what to see, we just figured we’d figure it out when we got there. Frustrated with our lack of preparation, our 13-year old daughter took charge. She found restaurants and restrooms and GPS apps on our cell phones we didn’t know existed. She picked up travel brochures and talked to the front desk clerk. She determined where we should go first based on their closing times and locations, and she decided which day we should do the monuments versus the museums based on the weather forecast.

They may be designed to protect our feet, but shoes serve a multitude of additional purposes. A nice flat sole makes an excellent spider squisher, while a stiletto can slam a nail like a hammer. Shoes can make or break an outfit (Ms. Jones know this full well) or even help us run, jump, walk or play a variety of sports – there are shoes for baseball, basketball, cross training, football, golf, lacrosse, running, skating, soccer, surfing, tennis, track and field, volleyball, walking and wrestling. I’ve even seen freaky five-toed shoes for hiking.

I played, now I must pay. After a lazy weekend our house is trashed. There are dishes on the table, mail on the counter, blankets on the sofa, shoes by the door. But books have been read, movies enjoyed, letters written and fun projects completed.

The only thing better than spending Spring Break in Florida is coming home. Our sunburns were peeling, our bags were packed and our grandparents were kissed goodbye as we headed into Tampa International Airport for a nonstop flight on our favorite airline. Within minutes of being dropped off curbside, we had checked our bags and cleared security.

Dragons. Leprechauns. Fairies. Zeus. Multitasking.

What does multitasking have to do with these other myths? According to psychiatrist Richard Hallowell, multitasking is “mythical activity in which people believe they can perform two or more tasks simultaneously.” We actually lose 10 IQ points when we attempt to do two things at once, more than double the drop that occurs when someone smokes marijuana. This is the equivalent of missing one night’s sleep.

She hitched her baby on her back and began the long walk toward safety. She walked the equivalent of 18 miles one way to take one child to safety, then she walked all the way home to get the others. She would make this trip five times, and she would do it all over again in a few days to take them more food.

If you’re like the average parent, you spend 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with your children (A.C. Nielsen Co.). If you’re a woman, three out of four of you with children between the ages of 6 and 17 work outside the home, and a third of all parents are raising kids by yourself – kids who take part in more after-school activities than ever (Gallup).

So, I, like, mailed a check to a vendor? But he, like, didn’t get it? And other checks, y’know, that were mailed after this, he did get? So I had to, like, stop payment on the one check and pay a fee? Then I had to, like, print a new check? Do you think I should, y’know, mail it?