Dear daughter, a letter on your fourth birthday. 

There are very few things worse than a hangover. I can actually only think of two, one of them is a hangover at 36-years-old, the other thing is toddlers. Really really loud toddlers.

Because parenting is sometimes like a hangover from which there is no recovering

If you’ve experienced either of these things then you know that while you’re in them, they seem to go on endlessly and have no real cure.

Fortunately I have a list of ways to help. And this list applies to both overindulging and the tiny little people living in your home and draining you of all your ever loving energy.

1. It’s all about the right foods – If you’ve ever woken up from a late night of partying with that cottonmouth, head pounding, belly full of acid feeling then you know how important your first meal of the day is. Whether you’re using it to suck up all of the remaining alcohol, as a pillow soft Landing for your ibuprofen, or to fuel you through a long day of chasing after small children. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Make it equal parts carbs, proteins, and grease and you will have no problem making it through two straight hours of Paw Patrol, or you know, life.
2. You’re gonna need a bigger coffee mug– Maybe you were doing jagerbombs until the bar closed at 2 a.m. Maybe you were up every hour because the blankets were simultaneously too soft and too hard. Just maybe, if you were really lucky, you woke up in the middle of the night to a small toddler face two inches from your own, saw your entire life flash between your eyes, and were so unimpressed that you were unable to fall back asleep. No matter what the reason, it’s now morning and you’re exhausted. My tip, brew a fresh pot of coffee, skip the mug, and put a straw in that bitch. That carafe is your mug today.
3. Water is life – Alcohol dehydrates you. So does caffeine. It’s cruel and unfair, but you’re going to have to suck it up buttercup and re-hydrate. You’ll need to drink half your weight in ounces in order to maintain. Then you’ll want to add an extra two ounces for every alcoholic drink your downed the night before.  Add an extra three ounces per toddler you have at home.
4. Silence is golden – It’s much easier to recover from last night’s happy hour or a three-year-old’s birthday party if you can get some quiet time for your brain to recover. Whether that means a nice long bath (bonus points if you throw in a fistful of Epsom salts in for detox purposes) or locking yourself in the laundry room because that’s the last place your kids will look for you. Get your grey matter some time to heal.
5. And the only real cure for both a hangover and parenting a toddler is the same, just abstain– Yeah, you’ve heard this one before. The only sure fire way to avoid a hangover is not to drink. And the only surefire way to not have toddlers is to not have babies. Who among us hasn’t sworn off alcohol after a particularly bad morning? Or said, “I really don’t think I want anymore kids.” only to eventually find yourself doing just that. Nothing lulls you into the false sense of security of, “we can handle another one.” quite like the sweet coo’s of someone else’s sleeping newborn.

The moral of the story is that only YOU can prevent hangovers and toddlers. Just say no.