Dawn Dumont: Preparation for parenthood

Before I became a parent, I used to review Pinterest lists with titles like, Things You Must Have For your Newborn and Without These Items, You Will Suck as a Parent.
Most of the tips are expensive nonsense lists with items like a bamboo crib, lovingly handcrafted in the rainforest by vegan chimpanzees. Some of them are common sense — car seats with high safety ratings. Although my mom has raised six kids and doesn’t even know how to use a car seat, so go figure.
Having been there a