No matter which way you look at it parenting is hard, here are some absolute gems of wisdom to help you!
Let’s face it–parenting isn’t something you are ever fully prepared for, no matter how many books you read or how many sessions you attend. The parenting journey is always full of challenges and each day brings something new. There are highs and lows, tears and laughter–but there isn’t a moment filled with regret. Parenting can also get very frustrating and tiring. To help you remember why you became a parent in the first place, here are 10 lovely parenting quotes:
1. “Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.” — W.E.B. DuBois
You can drill your children in the Ten Commandments every day, but if they see you breaking them, that’s what they will learn and follow. Children will know that you do not walk the talk and will try to bend the rules as well, just to see how you will react. If you want your children to be good, kind, loving, and full of laughter, you must lead by example.
2. “The best thing that you can give to your children is time.” – JD Ghai
Our days are filled with so many tasks that we forget to do the most important task of all–spend time with our children. We feel guilty about not spending time with them and we try to cover up the guilt by buying expensive toys. They don’t want your toys, they want you!
3. “If you have never been hated by your child you have never been a parent.” – Bette Davis
The relationship between a child and her parent is always in flux. One day, she loves you. The next day, she cannot stand to see you. It’s normal. If she’s always hating on you or she’s overly devoted to you, there could be an underlying issue.
4.” We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.” – Henry Ward Beecher
Out of the 10 quotes, this is my favorite one because I have fully experienced it. Only after I became a mother did I realize how parents love their children unconditionally. No matter how far they are from each other or how estranged they get, a parent never stops loving her child.
5. “Parenting without a sense of humor is like being an accountant who sucks at math.” -Unknown
Parenting is hard. If you are going to go about your day cursing your life and the mess your child made, you are going to have a very sad life indeed. Laugh it off, lighten up. If anybody criticizes your parenting or your house, kick them out.
6. “There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one.” – Sue Atkins
Stop trying to be a perfectionist. You will only wear yourself out. Instead, enjoy the smiles and gurgles of laughter. Very soon, they will be picking up and leaving home for college or a job. In your child’s eyes, you are the best mother or the best father in the world.
7. “Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.”- Robert Fulghum
Too often we’re anxious that our children are not disciplined and that they willfully disobey us. Perhaps you should take a step back and analyze the situation dispassionately. They may be pushing their boundaries but why are they doing it? To see how you react. To see what is more important to you–the vase they just broke or them.
8. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault
We wait for the big milestones in our child’s development, such as the first time he walked or the first time he talked, but we forget that the little joys, such as his everyday smiles, his funny faces, his attempts to crawl are also equally important. Savor this time with your children, for they will leave the nest one day and you will only be left with regret.
9. “I think it’s necessary to let kids get bored once in a while–that’s how they learn to be creative.” – Kim Raver
Trying to fill up each spare moment of our child’s life is counterproductive. Let her get bored and allow her to try to entertain herself. Only then will she be able to expand her mind and unleash her creativity. Haven’t you seen children playing make-believe all by themselves? That is the power of imagination.
10. “Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” – Charles S. Swindoll
Remember that your children are always watching you–your behavior, your reactions, your attitude to life. You may not fully realize just how much children are able to absorb from what’s happening around them. Whether they remember their childhood as idyllic and happy, or whether they only remember being unhappy from living with an anxious and always-busy parent, is totally up to you.
Are you a parent yourself and sometimes struggle being at it. Ask a question on Parenting below and get answers from our top Parenting Counsellors for Free.
