It's not fair that guilt became so intertwined with motherhood, but almost every mother suffers from maternal guilt about something she does or does not do.

In our culture, motherhood is so loaded with expectations of perfection that it's impossible to live up to the standard. That doesn't mean we don't try, or that we don't feel lousy when we fail.

It's time for a wake-up call. When you dissect the top guilt traps for moms, you'll find that about half of them are tied in with traditional expectations of women's work and behavior, and the other half are related to the image of the modern superwoman who can do it all and be it all, all while looking fabulous.

The truth is that we're not saints and we're not superheroes; we're human beings with varying gifts and flaws who are engaged in one of the most important jobs of all: caring for kids.

The way we raise our children is indeed vitally important to their future and, to risk sounding grandiose, the future of the world. That means that we need to do our best with what we have and learn from our mistakes.

Heaping ourselves with guilt doesn't improve the situation for mom or the kids, and guilt is a heavy load to add on when we're already hauling more than our fair share.

So, here is a quick top 10 list of guilt traps for moms. Read it, acknowledge it, but whatever you do, don't feel guilty!