Naomi Shapiro is a freelance graphic designer from Wichita, Kansas. Here's what this stay-at-home mom had to say:

“The one thing I've learned that helps me to be a better person is just to take things in stride. I spent too much of my life judging other peoples' decisions and worrying about what they would think of mine. Thankfully, over the past three years of my Mommydom, I've come to realize that different people have different ways of doing things and that is perfectly okay. Once you let go of thinking your way is the only way, everything is easier. This works for every aspect of life- marriage, parenthood, work, social interaction, even in-law problems—you can even watch the news and be less angry about political matters. I hope I am able to impart this to my daughter while she is still so small. It definitely makes life happier once you admit you can't control or change everything.”

Danielle Pantaleo is the mommy of a 22-month-old daughter and  a five-month-old son. Here's what this  bankruptcy attorney from New Jersey had to say:

“I recently learned to be truly grateful. Two weeks after the birth of my second child I was diagnosed with Bell's palsy, which is facial paralysis on one side of the face—a condition that is not uncommon to women who just gave birth. One side of my face was completely frozen and I was unable to close my eye or move any facial muscles. During this time, I relied tremendously on my husband, our families and friends to take care of me while I cared for my newborn son and daughter. I became so thankful for even the smallest things: a drive to the doctor, a cooked meal, putting the kids down for bed and the ability to smile. I could not have survived without them. Now, months later, my face is almost 100% better, but most importantly, I emerged as a more appreciative person and am happier for being so.”

Amy Keroes, former Gap Inc. Senior Corporate Counsel, recently launched www.mommytrackd.com, a popular resource for stay-at-work moms.  Here's what this Mill Valley, California, mother of two had to say:

“Recently, I learned that my status as a working mom won't damage my kids. My fears have always revealed themselves to me through dreams. I am terrified of heights. So I have dreams of free-falling off the Golden Gate Bridge. I am afraid of losing control, of being unprepared, of failure. When I was in school, I had recurring nightmares about having to take a final exam in a class I never attended. I am terrified of bugs, so sometimes I dream that I am on Fear Factor in a tank filled with cockroaches.

Now that I am a working mother of two, the dreams reveal my fears of parental inadequacy. I dream about forgetting to pick up my children from daycare. I dream that I lose track of them in shopping malls. You don't need a degree or a passing grade on any test to raise a child; every parent, at times, feels utterly unqualified for the daunting responsibility of protecting and shaping the lives of their children. Working mothers carry an additional layer of fear that their time away will irreparably harm the children. Are we shortchanging our children because other mothers are by their children's sides coaching them to be better people during the hours we are by choice or necessity working?

When my son Matty was around three, I went to have lunch with him at his day care. All the kids in his class were children of working parents. On that particular day, when it was time to leave, I told him that I had to go back to my office, that I had to go back to work. One by one, from behind their sippy cups, each kid announced with unaffected, heartfelt enthusiasm that their mommies had offices, too. Some said their mommies had computers. Some said their moms had spinny chairs. Some said their moms had pictures of them or pictures they had drawn on their desks. Some said their moms weren't there for lunch that day because they were in a meeting. Some said their moms took them to the cafeteria at their work for French fries.  For me their pride in their mothers' professions was also permission—permission to transform my fear of parental failure into something far more positive.

Since that day, my working mom fear has been converted into a conviction that while I might mess up my kids, it will not be simply because I have a job."