Can a mom be stock savy?

Our kids future is involved in all decisions we make.  Why not think about making sure their future is solid as well.  I've been thinking a lot about the plans we invest in for our kids.  Then I've been thinking of all the recent issues that our economy has faced and can't help but wonder what the best way to save for the future is for our kids.  Should we continue to just invest in the plans packaged for us or should we do it ourselves?  The answer is I don't know.  
It is scary to think about taking all the money for your child's future and being responsible for it completely.  It's much easier to think about giving it to someone else and not worry about it until it's college time.  So much easier to sign up and just pay in monthly and not think about it again.  The market crash we recently had and the recession has me worried though.  So, I started looking to see what others are doing.  Basically, I was looking for someone who wasn't afraid to say they had lost and were working at doing it better.  I wanted to learn and see the mistakes of others to avoid them myself.  I came across a blogger who was posting just this and was now working on doing something called the “tim trading challenge”.  This blogger admits to having loss and to making dumb decisions.  This makes me feel better about my fears and that I'm not the only one with concerns.  So, while I'll continue to make some monthly payments to their savings, I'll also start looking at things for myself.