Ah, the sweet milestones of childhood. Nothing makes a mom more proud than adding an entry to the baby book (First steps! First words!), then posting about it on Facebook for all to like. But beyond taking the training wheels off the bike and the first day of kindergarten, there are other childhood milestones that aren’t so status worthy. These are the kinds of milestones only your mom friends truly understand.
More from Mom.com: Baby’s Developmental Milestones — Explained
Projectile sneeze
Bloody tooth
Losing a tooth is a huge milestone for a kid. I mean, the tooth fairy—what’s not to love? Um, that disgusting, bloody tooth that dangles from your kid’s gums for days, that’s what. And guess who usually has to “help” the tooth out? Mom.
Body odor
Seriously, this is one that takes most moms completely by surprise. Whether it happens at the age of 8 or 12, that first time you catch a whiff of body odor coming from your not-yet-a-teen kid you will be blown away—and buying unscented deodorant faster than your tween can say “Axe Body Spray.”
Underarm hair
Nothing is more exciting than that first summer day at the swimming pool—especially if your kid sprouted underarm hair somewhere between winter break and Memorial Day. While your girl will most likely be freaking out and begging for a razor, boys are more likely to flex and raise their arms in a show of new found manliness. See also: Body Odor.
Dead thing in pocket
The problem with collecting live things is that they often don’t stay alive in a pocket.
Any mom worth her weight in frogs knows, kids collect things (live things, at times). And the problem with collecting live things is that they often don’t stay alive in a pocket. Check your laundry, moms.
Real kid poop
OK, that first baby poop at the hospital? Pretty gross. Most moms secretly cross their fingers that it conveniently happens when the baby is with the nurses. But baby poop in general aren’t really that horrible on the smell scale. But there is a distinctive shift at some point, after you’ve introduced lots of solid foods, when all of a sudden that diaper is filled with real poop. And you will silently wish that the newborn poop would come back.
Urine sample
The first time your kid has to produce a urine sample on demand for the pediatrician is an event to remember, especially since you probably have to “assist” in gathering the sample. This is one of many reasons moms should keep hand sanitizer in their purse at all times.
