Being a parent is the most important job in the world. It can also be one of the most challenging roles to fill and juggle.
We understand...it’s not all lullabies and listening to infectious baby giggles—though a lot of it is! All of us could use a daily dose of positivity to keep our heads up while parenting. Read these quotes to put a little spring in your step as you take on the world of parenting:
1. “There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one.”
—Sue Atkins
2. “The point of parenting isn’t to have all the answers before we start out, but instead to figure it out on the go as our children grow, because as they do, so will we.”
—Bridgett Miller
3. “Behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believed first.”
—Mathew L. Jacobson
4. “When in doubt, choose the kids. There will be plenty of time later to choose work.”
—Anna Quindlen
5. “Now is the time to make tomorrow’s greatest memories.”
—Josh Misner
6. “I believe that the best way to inspire a quality, or even a habit, in our kids is to cultivate it ourselves. This means that parenting is a constant journey of learning and growth, of looking outward, toward my children, to see the areas in which I need to work at improving myself.”
—Hannah Guari Ma
7. “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.”
—Albert Einstein
8. “If I had my child to raise all over again, I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later. I’d finger-paint more, and point the finger less. I would do less correcting and more connecting. I’d take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes. I’d take more hikes and fly more kites. I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play. I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars. I’d do more hugging and less tugging.”
—Diane Loomans
9. “Play is not a respite from learning. Play is learning.”
—Katie Hurley
10. “The way we treat our children directly impacts what they believe about themselves.”
—Ariadne Brill
11. “It’s not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can’t tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself.”
—Joyce Maynard
12. “A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.”
—Paulo Coelho
13. “If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.”
—Dr. Haim Ginott
14. “Don’t forget to bring your funny bone along on your parenting journey. Humor is a universal language that topples walls, connects hearts, and opens the door to communication and cooperation.”
—L.R. Knost
15. "Whatever you would have your children become, strive to exhibit in your own lives and conversation."
—Lydia H. Sigourney
