Motherhood for the Phobic

Greetings everyone from beautiful Arlington, Virginia! Let me say right up front--this is truly a wonderful place to live.  The public schools are top-notch, the people are engaged and interesting, the environment is verdant and lush, the sidewalks and parks are plentiful and in good repair, the crime is almost non-existent, the houses are well-kept, the gardens are fussed over, the children are (generally) polite, and the dogs are very, very cute. The taxes are high, but you get what you pay for.  We have one of the highest education levels in the country and are number two in per capita income by county. And, while I don't have hard data on this (and woe unto any Arlingtonian who makes an assertion without data) but based on observation, Arlingtonians care about those less fortunate (which is pretty much everyone on earth) and donate significant time and money to charity.  So big picture--great place, great people, I am super lucky to live here.  

Arlingtonians are high achievers…