Now, to understand why something as simple as a trip to shoemaker would stay with me all these years later, I have to explain. I came from most loving and nurturing parents a child could ever want. Even back then, I knew I was blessed with a wonderful family, but this realization also made me a little arrogant. My fierce devotion to family could be blinding at times.

When my dad asked me to pick up his shoes from shoemaker, I eagerly obliged. Although he rarely asked, I loved doing favors for him and this was an easy request. Or so I thought. This simple errand proved more daunting than I originally anticipated, but it also provided me with a valuable lesson in life.

On my first attempt to pick up shoes, I was informed they weren't ready. "Please, come back," shoemaker said. However, although he said "please", his response was curt.

As far as I was concerned, my dad never made mistakes, so I looked at ticket and confirmed that I had right date. "The ticket said they would be ready today," I responded in an indignant tone.

"Tomorrow," was all he said. Then he turned to his next customer. I'm sure he didn't need a teenager lecturing him about his business obligations.

Prone to dramatics of my youth, I rolled my eyes and left in a huff, complaining about his lack of responsibility under my breath.

When I returned next day, ready to forgive him for inconvenience, I was informed shoes were not ready. Oh, you would think tragedy struck my perfect little world. My daddy needs his shoes, I though. How could shoemaker be so inconsiderate? I stormed out of shop without a word, but my body language spoke volumes.

My third trip (in three days) yielded same results, and now I was furious at shoemaker. Who did he think he was? What kind of a business was he running?

Without thinking, I demanded shoes back. He complied with my request, grabbed shoes from a large pile on his workbench and shoved them into a bag. "Here you go, young lady," he said with a smirk.

Most new mothers are not aware that almost all babies develop a fussy period and actuality of colic is present in one form or another. Colic is not an illness or a physical disorder. Doctors define colic as 3 or more hours a day of continued crying. The baby's persistent crying is generally not due to any obvious signs such as: hunger, wet diaper, or gas, and in many cases, child cannot be comforted or soothed. There is good news though, colic generally does not last beyond first three months!

Several studies that involved more than 12,000 babies have indicated that mothers who smoke during pregnancy face almost twice risk of having a baby with colic. Exposure to second hand smoke also appears to increase risk for colic.

Parents dealing with a colicky baby need to be observant and patient. Experimenting may be required to find ways to comfort your baby. Holding your baby is notably most effective way to calm him.