“Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.”

- Rose Kennedy
​
"What children need most is responsive attention and caring from adults who are madly in love with them."

- Harriet Meyer

​
     "The beat that you hear within yourself is your connection to your soul's purpose. It will continue to plague you when you ignore it or suppress it in an attempt to conform to society. Listen to the voice you hear and the drumbeat only you can feel, and honor it, while honoring it in those you love as well."
                                                                                               
Henry David Thoreau

​ 
"Talk With Them, Not To Them."
"How do you raise a child who thinks for himself, learns from mistakes, and perseveres in the face of adversity? As with most aspects of parenting, the answers aren’t easy. But one key is to nurture your child’s confidence. The word confidence comes from the roots fidere, “to trust,” and con, “with.” Confidence, trust in oneself and one’s abilities, is the secret of success, and the experience of success is a key to building confi...dence. Build your children’s confidence by guiding them to success in learning.

​Break tasks down into simple components so kids get a series of small successes rather than a few big failures.
Nothing builds a child’s self-confidence like unconditional love. Let your children know that you love them for who they are, rather than for what they do. Complement unconditional love with enthusiastic encouragement. Shower your children with phrases like “You can do anything you set your mind to,” “I believe in you,” and “I know you can do it.”

Treat mistakes as learning opportunities. When your children do fail, give them gentle, accurate feedback and enthusiastic encouragement. One of the problems with some “self-esteem” oriented education is that it confuses unconditional love and encouragement with inaccurate feedback. Telling a child that his performance is good or right when it is not undercuts the development of genuine self-esteem. Accurate feedback grounds your child in reality and communicates your respect for his ability to learn."


​- Michael J. Gelb


"Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives."

​- Thomas Berry

​
"What's missing from many adult's lives isn't a sense of purpose. It's a sense of play."


- Gene Cohen
(game creator)

​
"We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that his is someone today."


-Stacia Tauscher

​
"The child has a kind of luminosity, a purity, a sense of wonder. The child is truly the treasure of humanity."


​- Jean Varnier
​Deep in our Hearts
​
"We adults often have no sense of that extraordinary powerful intuition and richness which lie in a child's heart."

- Maria Montessori

​
"We nurture our children selflessly. But we recognize them as our most tangible source of renewal - for a child the world is always new... All of us see in children - our own and all children - the hope and promise of what humans can become."

​- Ursula Goodenough, The Sacred Depth of Nature


"Like most children before the age of TV and computer games, I loved being outside, playing in the secret places in the garden, learning about Nature."


- Jane Goodall, "Reason for Hope"

​
"If the sun doesn't shine the plant doesn't grow. If the soul is surrounded by judgement rather than love, it cannot flourish."


- Marion Woodman

​
"If we allowed our children to show is what they can do, rather than merely accepting what they usually do, I feel we would be in for some grand surprises. As adults our feeble expectations of children's capabilities puts breaks on their potential."

- Mem Fox
Radical Reflections

​
"Opportunities to be creative and to brainstorm can be the salvation of children who are having a hard time succeeding academically. Art classes, music classes, and creative writing opportunities should be considered core curriculum in a nation that values and harbors a tradition of innovation. Some kids create better than they learn."

-Mel Levine
​"A Mind at a Time"

​
"...children are not solely adults in the making, but creatures in their own right, as tadpoles differ from mature frogs, or caterpillars from mature butterflies, they have their own set of emotions, abilities, and techniques. What is expected of them is child-like, and not pre-adult work. All that is asked is that they should do what comes naturally to them, within the bounds of reason and common sense."

-Sybil Marshall...
​An Experiment in Education
​

Build educational strategy on the Purposes of the child. This does not imply letting the child learn what he pleases; it suggests that, inescapably, the child learns what he pleases. The teacher's job, then is to prepare an environment that will stimulate and challenge children to want to learn worthwhile things.

-Susan Ohanian on John Dewey's methods.

​
“The great words of teaching are the one-syllable ones: read, write, teach, learn, work, skill, care, help, hope, trust, faith, love. And the greatest of these, of course is love.”

​-Wallace Stevens
"Family affirmation and support are not luxuries but necessities in our lives. If we do not experience them as children, we may spend the rest of our lives seeking them from strangers."


​-Dolores Curran
"Traits of a Happy Family"

"When you are listening to a child try to give your full attention. Those bright little eyes know when your attention is wandering. When kids are giving you news from school, set your newspaper aside for a moment and listen to every work. You will be training them how to love."


​- Eknath Easwaran, Your Life is Your Message

"Encouragement means accepting the child as his is, not as we want him to be."


- Rudolph Dreikurs

​
"For almost every child, adolescence means one thing above all else, the teen must prove that she is no longer a child. If we can persuade her that she can take this for granted, a great deal of tension would be drawn from the situation. But if she feels she has to prove it, then naturally she will overstress the point." 

- Alfred Adler
"Raising healthy children is a labor-intensive operation. Contrary to news from the broader culture, most of what children need money cannot buy. Children need time and space, attention, affection, guidance and conversation. They need sheltered places where they can be safe as they learn what they need to know to survive.They need jokes, play and touching. They need to have stories told to them by adults who know and love them i...n all of their particularity and who have a real interest in their moral development." 

- Mary Pipher
"Shadow of Each Other"

​
"To encourage another human being is to convey to them that you have faith in them as they are. The teenager watches closely for signs that (s)he has what it takes to bridge the gap from childhood to adulthood. It is highly encouraging for them to feel the quiet confidence of their parents that conveys the message. 'Knowing you, you will find a way to handle the problem that faces you.' This is in sharp contrast with the more common approach of parents to jump in to give advice or criticism. Giving advice has its place, but it is clearly overdone by many parents."
- Frank Walton


"Motherly (Fatherly) love is unconditional affirmation of the child's life and his/her needs... Affirmation of the child's life has two aspects; one is the care and responsibility absolutely necessary for the child's life and growth, The other aspect goes further than mere preservation. It is the attitude that instills in the child a love for living... its good to be on Earth... It seems (however) that the real achievement of motherly love lies not in the mother's love for the small infant, but in her love for the growing child." 

- Erich Fromm

​
"The best way to get children to take spiritual and religious life seriously is for them to see adults take it seriously"

- Michael Lerner
THE POLITICS OF MEANING

​
"Instead of telling our children what they should do and become, we must be humble before their wisdom, believing that in them and not in us is the secret that they need to discover."

- Elizabeth O'Connor
Eighth Day of Creation:
Gifts and Creativity

​
 "Encouragement means accepting the child as he is, not as we want him to be."

- Rudolf Dreikurs, MD


​
"So your child is growing up and as she gets more mature, your role as a parent changes from being a coach during the school-aged period and a manager during middle school to now evolving into more of a consultant. A consultant is there to help when a request is made or when a problem arises. A middle school student needs a moderate amount of guidance, but a successful teen who has been given a set of clear rules and boundaries can operate much more independently."
​
- Damon Korb, MD
Raising an Organized Child

​
“Too often we as parents feel compelled to rescue our children from boredom by allowing them to have an iPad in a restaurant, sitting them in from of the television to keep them occupied, or overscheduling their after-school time. Instead, you can give some suggestions and let your child try to figure out some fun for himself.”


​- Damon Korb, MD
Raising an Organized Child

​
        "The world is full of problems to be solved, and young students are the problem-solvers of the future. Teaching your children to be organized starting when they are very young and continuing through young adulthood will give them the best opportunity to be prepared for life. Be consistent in how you teach these lessons. Share with your child a sense of time and place so that he understands order. Practice forward thinking by allowing him to plan and anticipate for himself. And encourage an understanding of the big picture by modeling it in your behavior and by promoting perspective taking. Your organized child will someday thank you with his future success."


-Damon Korb, MD
RAISING AN ORGANIZED CHILD

"It is crucial to note that children usually have a far better sense of their own vocation than do their parents. Consequently, when we ask how parents can best discern the vocation of their children, the first answer is, “Listen to them.” Observe them."


- M. Scott Peck, M.D
A World Waiting to be Born


"The experience of their home life tends to shape children's visions of the world. If they grow up in a warm, nurturing home, they tend to envision the world as a warm and nurturing place and think, "Hey, I want to move out there: I want more of this." Children raised in cold and hostile homes, however, tend to see the world as a cold and hostile place and think, "I don't want to go out there. At least here I know what the rules are and how to keep myself safe." Parental civility, then, provides the springboard from which children can leap into a separate, independent adulthood."


- M. Scott Peck, M.D.
A World Waiting to be Born

​
"It is extremely important for parents to come together sufficiently so as to speak to their children with a 'single voice.' Nothing can be more destructive for children (at least until they are well into adulthood---say, past thirty-five) than to have Father telling them one thing and Mother telling them another. It literally tears them apart."
​

- M. Scott Peck, M.D.
A World Waiting to be Born
"If actively present, grandparents provide children with a sense of history and rootedness. Grandchildren, in turn, may give their grandparents a sense of meaning in their old age and a connection with both the present and the future.”
 
- M. Scott Peck, M.D.
A World Waiting to be Born

​
“It is crucial to note that children usually have a far better sense of their own vocation than do their parents. Consequently, when we ask how parents can best discern the vocation of their children, the first answer is, “Listen to them.” Observe them.”
 
- M. Scott Peck, M.D.
A World Waiting to be Born

​

"Learning to accept children as they are, rather than what we think they should be, can be very encouraging." It says to the child, 'You have worth as you are. You don't always have to live up to my expectations.'"


"Life in the Family Zoo"
by John Platt

​

"We need to be parents with open arms, always ready to make a way for our children's new beginnings. And we need to be parents with open hearts that are both transparent and encouraging."

-O.S. Hawkins
                                       The Joshua Code

​
"Play is not just fun for children. Though parents may not realize it, play is really serious business for children and they take it seriously. They don't realize it but it's an integral part of their learning process."
                                                                                            
"Who Will Teach Me"
                                    by Joseph Girzone


"Childhood has its own way of seeing, thinking, and feeling, and nothing is more foolish than to try to substitute ours for theirs."

"The Hurried Child" by David Elkind
quoting Rousseau's "Emile"

​​

"You can observe a lot by watching."

- Yogi Berra
(The Yogi Book)

​
"One of the greatest things parents have going for them is to love a kid in such a way that the kid doesn't want to disappoint them."

​- Janis Long Harris
(What Good Parents Have in Common)


"The knowledge that your parents deeply care for you and truly want the best for you can make up for many technical errors in childrearing."

​- Janis Long Harris...
(What Good Parents Have in Common)

​​

"Rituals and traditions are the shelters of family life. They provide the structure that makes children feel secure. The power of routine in everyday life is grossly underestimated."

-Janis Long Harris...
(What Good Parents Have in Common)

​
"Children don't feel free to talk unless they know their parents are really listening."

- Janis Harris Long
(What Good Parents Have in Common)

​
"When parents communicate approval and trust, when they let it be known that they expect their children to do the right thing, they generally do."

- Janis Long Harris
(What Good Parents Have in Common)

​
"A vocation to parenthood is a vocation to to live with tremendous uncertainty"
- M. Scott Peck



"Never underestimate the power of your words upon a young person's life."

-Adele Faber
(HOW TO TALK SO KIDS WILL LISTEN AND LISTEN SO KIDS WILL TALK)



"Some children say they wish they could call their parents on the phone because the phone always gets first priority."
           
"Caring for Your School-Aged Child"
The American Academy of Pediatrics
(Written before cell phones
were so ubiquitous)



"If you want a closer relationship with your spouse or kids, the best place to start is becoming a better listener."
                                                                                                    - Richard Carlson

"Attachment to land is good for land and child."


- Richard Louv
LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS


"The father and mother of an unnoticed family, who in their seclusion awaken the mind of one child to the idea and love of goodness, who awaken in him a strength of will to repel temptation, and who send him out prepared to profit by the conflicts of life, surpass in influence a Napoleon breaking the world to his sway."

- William Ellery Channing
(1780-1842)



"Happy are the families where the government of parents is the reign of affection, and obedience of the children the submission of love."

- Francis Bacon
(1561-1626)



"We want to give our children so much---and yet the most important gift we can give them is respect. In our heart of hearts, we love them unconditionally---yet sometimes our words do not convey this message. Respect means friendly firmness. It does not permit criticism or nagging. It involves guiding them toward self-responsibility. Children raised by loving, respectful parents grow in self-esteem and learn to treat others with respect."
 
- Jane Bedingfield Stavoe



"Infants and young children are not just sitting around twiddling their thumbs, waiting for parents to teach them to read and do math. They are expanding a vast amount of time and effort in exploring and understanding their immediate world. Healthy education supports and encourages this spontaneous learning."

David Elkind
"Miseducation"



Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent."
                                                                                                       
- C. G. Jung



"When you teach your son, you teach your son's son."

-The Talmud



"To show a child what once delighted you, to find the child's delight added to your own---this is happiness."

-J.B. Priestley


"Every second we live is a new and unique moment of the Universe,
a moment that never was and never will be again.
And what do we teach our children in school?...
We teach them that two plus two is four and that Paris is the capital of France.
When will we also teach them what they are?
We should also say to them-
'Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique.
In the world there is no other child exactly like you.
In the millions of years that have passed, there has never been a child like you.
Yes, you are a marvel.' "

- Pablo Casals


"Avoid the first impulse. Do the unexpected."

- Rudolph Dreikurs, M.D.
"Review of the Parenting Principles"


"Don't shoo flies."

- Rudolph Dreikurs, M.D.
"Review of the Parenting Principles

"Withdraw from the conflict."

- Rudolph Dreikurs, M.D.
"Review of the Parenting Principles"
"Example is not the main way of influencing others; it is the only way."

- Stephen Beeson, MD


"The principal work of love is attention---setting aside our preoccupations and listening."
-M Scott Peck
                                                                 The Road Less Traveled


"It seems God has wired us for love, for intimacy, for empathy, for compassion, and for union---beginning with the gaze between a mother and her newborn, which some say creates the mirror neurons necessary for healthy relationship."


Richard Rohr
A Spring Within Us


Avoid Giving UNDER Attention
Win Cooperation
Take Time for Training
Maintain a Routine
Induce Respect for the Rights of Others
Induce Respect for Order
Respect the Child
Be Firm Without Dominating
Use Natural and Logical Consequences
Avoid Punishment and Reward
Encourage the Child
Listen
There is a voice
Waxing wisdom
Heralding Hope
And clothed in compassion
This voice
Often fashioned
in fun filled humor
inspires all of us
willing to take the time
to listen to
a child

- Jane Stavoe
(Dr B's sister)


"We now know that the brain is capable of changing and growing throughout life, but there is no question that most of its growth comes during the earliest years...Parents ask me if they should play Mozart to their babies, or buy them expensive teaching toys, or prohibit television, or get them started early on the computer. I give them the same simple answer...'Read to your children.' "

-David Snowdon
"Aging with Grace"


"Kids need to know that many adults find it easier to be a grown-up than it was to be a kid. When you grow up, you no longer are expected to be good at everything."

- Mel Levine, MD


"There are two rules for power struggles---avoid them or win them."

- Mary Pipher 
Letters to a Young Therapist
                                     

"The 3 things adults remember with the greatest pleasure from their childhoods are family meals, time outdoors, and vacations."

- Mary Pipher 
Letters to a Young Therapist


"There is a difference between giving a reason (right and proper) and trying to reason (trying to convince the child that your reason is valid)...'Because I said so' is a statement of leadership. It affirms the parent's authority. It says, 'the discussion is over.' "

- John Rosemond
Parenting by the Book


"Imaginative play coupled with long discussions, debates, and opinion-oriented conversations (where we ask children what they think and challenge them with 'why' questions) is far more important than computer-based educational programs which work more on rote memory skills and on very structured types of academic capacities. This is not to suggest that 20-30 minutes of academic-oriented computer games may not be helpful, but it does suggest that the bulk of the day should be spent in dynamic learning interactions."
                                                                                               
- Brazelton and Greenspan
                                                                                                The Irreducible Needs of Children
(conversations between a prominent pediatrician and child psychologist)



"Since the absolute answers and sure directives that parents seek are no where available, children's sound development does not require specific formulas... That healthy personality development is not dependent upon any particular know-how but rather, and to a greater extent, upon parental love."

- Midcentury White House Conference on Children and Youth, 1950


"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."

-Benjamin Spock
(The first line in his long-running classic book on parenting and childcare.)


"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
- Nelson Mandela


  • “We teach our children through everything we say to them.”

-Jim Henson


"We cherish all the Earth's children and take responsibility for their nurture and well-being."

-Roots of the future, Global NGO Conference, 1991

​
"Children the world over have a right to a childhood filled with beauty, joy, adventure, and companionship. They will grow toward ecological literacy if the soil they are nurtured in is rich with experience, love, and good examples."

- Alan Dyer, "A Sense of Adventure"


​"Silence can be a powerful form of discipline. Children are used to being told continuously what to do and what not to do. When this expectation is violated by silence, a child is likely to realize the serious aspect of his behavior. He will long for communication again. After the silence, little explanation may be necessary. If it is, be brief. 'You know I can't tolerate that, don't you?'"

- T. Berry Brazelton, MD.
Discipline the Brazelton Way

​
"Sometimes one parent may respond to a child's behavior by setting a limit, while the other parent didn't think a limit was called for. It is almost always best to go along with the initial response, and to plan to talk over how to handle this in the future later on, in private. If only one parent is present at the time of the problem behavior, then the other parent must, in general, me supportive of the response. When one parent undermines the the authority of the other, the child will feel confused, even guilty, and unsure of being protected by parental discipline from her own impulses. At times parents may need to sacrifice the fine point of their individual views on discipline for the sake of working more closely together. Children who sense that their parents are learning to function as a team know that they have the safety of family!"

- T. Berry Brazelton, MD.
Discipline the Brazelton Way


"Consequences can be even more effective if presented positively: 'If you get your coat on quickly, we'll still have time to go to grandma's' or "If you help me set the table, then I'll have time to play with you for a little while before supper' or 'When you ask nicely for what you want, people are more likely to listen.' These are not bribes, but help a child anticipate the positive consequences of her 'good' behavior."


- T. Berry Brazelton, MD.
Discipline the Brazelton Way


"When parents teach their children to obey rules because the rules are fair, and not because the parents are more powerful, they are preparing their child to be law-abiding for the years ahead, when parents will no longer be more powerful."
- T. Berry Brazelton, MD.
Discipline the Brazelton Way


"When a day is filled with 'no's, find something to say 'yes' to."

- T. Berry Brazelton, MD
Discipline the Brazelton Way


"A toddler is unlikely to give up a tantrum as long as parents hover nearby. Without realizing it, they are saying: 'You can't control yourself.' When parents can safely walk away, they are saying, instead: 'You can pull yourself together on your own.'"


- T. Berry Brazelton, MD.
Discipline the Brazelton Way

"Misbehavior is often a child's first try at channeling his intense feelings. For a child to manage his emotions without misbehaving, he will need discipline---and a model in his parent's self-discipline."

- T. Berry Brazelton, MD
Discipline the Brazelton Way

"Child development expert Selma Fraiberg said that 'a child without discipline is a child who feels unloved.' But it is not something parents are likely to receive thanks for from their children, unless they can wait until these children experience the joy and challenges of having children of their own."


- T. Berry Brazelton, MD.
Discipline the Brazelton Way


"These days we can no longer afford to take the 'spare the rod, spoil the child' dictum so literally. It is time we took it to mean 'spare discipline, spoil the child'---a challenging but essential warning for every parent."

- T. Berry Brazelton, MD
Discipline the Brazelton Way


"We must never forget that our ultimate goal is to raise healthy, successful 35-year-olds, not high school seniors whose success is narrowly defined by the college that admits them."

- Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD
Building Resilience in Children and Teens


"I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you."

-Joyce Meyer



"When our grown children know that we honored their need to become independent, they will return to us for that INTERdependence that defines loving families across generations."


- Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD
Building Resilience in Children and Teens



"When adults over-schedule children's free time, it isn't free at all."


- Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD
Building Resilience in Children and Teens




"When children become involved in volunteer activities, they will likely work with adults who are good role-models. As they work alongside adults who contribute to worthwhile causes, children not only learn specific skills but also connect with adults who are working to make a difference, and that will have a lasting positive influence on your child."


- Kenneth R. Ginsberg, MD
Building Resilience in Children and Teens


"The key to getting a child to open up is to say very little. Simply use short phrases that prompt more conversation. This is particularly important at the beginning of a conversation because we want children to reach a point where they're comfortable enough to express whatever is on their minds. To reach this point, they must know that we are paying attention and have only their agenda in mind."


- Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD
Building Resilience in Children and Teens

"Recognizing strengths and building on them is particularly important when young people are having difficulties. Look for past experiences when they overcame a challenge or dealt with a problem effectively. Help them go back and draw on those successful experiences and use their expertise for the difficulties they now face."


- Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD
Building Resilience in Children and Teens

"We need to shorten our speeches, be direct, and get kids involved by asking them to make a choice. 'Do you want to finish your homework before dinner so you can watch your favorite show, or do it after dinner and skip TV?' Short, sweet, and simple. The child hears your parameters and has a choice, which gives him some control of the situation. If he doesn't finish his homework before dinner, he can't watch television. He determines the outcome."

- Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD
Building Resilience in Children and Teens


"Remember, the most essential ingredient in raising resilient children is an adult who loves or accepts them unconditionally and holds them to high but reasonable expectations. High expectations are not about grades or performance. They're about integrity, generosity, empathy, and the traits our children need if they are to contribute to the world."

- Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD
Building Resilience in Children and Teens


"Since the absolute answers and sure directives that parents seek are nowhere available, children's sound development does not require specific formulas and sure directives...That healthy personally development is not dependent upon any particular
know-how but rather, and to a far greater extent, upon parental love."

- Midcentury White House Conference
on Children and Youth 1950


"All parents do their best job when they have a natural, easy confidence in themselves, not when they're trying to do everything letter-perfect out of a feeling of worry."

- Dr. Benjamin Spock

"The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don't celebrate those, they can pass you by."

- Alek Wek

"More and more people are becoming aware of the fact that children really do need to get closer to nature."
                                                                                                           
- Sylvia Earle


"Children don't enjoy being with adults who are serious, arguing, bitter, or hostile. They respond to people who are loving and gentle, know how to laugh and have fun."
                                                                                               
- Charles Stanley

" Children's ideas of their parents' religion come from deeds, not talk."
                                                            
M. Scott Peck
"Remember to spend time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that littler person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment, for someday that person... will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind."


- George Carlin



"More and more I've come to understand that listening is one of the most important things we can do for one another. Whether the other be an adult or a child, our engagement in listening to who that person is can often be our greatest gift. Whether that person is speaking or playing or dancing, building or singing or painting, if we care, we can listen."


Mr. (Fred) Rogers



"Train up a child in the way he should go. And when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6...
(The Holy Bible)


"Listening to children attentively is more important than any words we can say. This applies to routine situations as well as times of crisis."

- Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD...
(Building Resilience in Children and Teens)


"Practice paying attention, really paying attention, to the people you love most dearly."

- Thomas Kinkaid


(Advice to Pediatricians)
"One of our jobs is not just to focus on the baby, but also to encourage the family to keep focusing on each other and support each other."

-Ron Anderson, MD
"Children need adults who understand the relationship between boredom and creativity, adults willing to spend time in nature with kids."


-Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods)



"Parents are the real problem, not children. We must help them so that they will be able to enjoy the deepest pleasure human beings can experience - having children. Whoever learns to enjoy his child is glad to pay the price demanded - sleepless nights at the bedside of a sick child, fright and consternation at dangers, disappointment and concerns when this child fails. Watching the child grow up is a pleasure unequaled. It reverses the meaning of time: every year lost to us is gained by the child. Our own stepping aside is more than compensated by our child taking up where we left off, not for our personal prestige, but for the maintenance of our ideals, of our convictions, of all that we consider worthwhile. Through our children, we build the future, and the future alone can appraise what we do today."


- Rudoplh Dreikurs, M.D


"I might offer prescription, but no pharmacist could fill it. 'Discipline' I thought I might write. 'Regularity of habits. A definite feeding schedule strictly adhered to. Food properly prepared and of sufficient quantity. Sensible clothing. An abundance of sleep and rest. Quiet, peaceful surroundings. Gentleness without coddling. Affection without overindulgence. Firmness without harshness. Solicitude without exaggerated anxiety. To be given three hundred sixty five days a year'"
 
Isaac A. Abt
Baby Doctor
(Dr Abt, 1867-1955, was a very prominent Chicago pediatrician in the early days of pediatrics.)

"Working with a pediatician is a mutual job of learning what you can and cannot get from each other. You must demonstrate respect, and you deserve respect in return. Both of you have the same goal - a healthy, competent, confident child!"


- T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.

"A parent's job is to admire and approve, but not to push."

-T. Berry Brazelton, M.D
“Parents ask me how early discipline begins. The first time the baby crawls to the TV or the radiator and looks around to see if you’re watching, he is asking for discipline.”

-T. Berry Brazelton, M.D

"The most 'neglected' children are not those of the poor, but of the rich---or those trying to get there. There are no presents as important as presence."


-Sydney Harris

"Strengthen the patience of children so they can learn to listen for the quiet voices."


- Alison Hawthorne Deming
(Poem for the Earth Charter)


"The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope."


-Teilhard de Chardin


"You can encourage your child to express their feelings by sharing your own."
- Suzy Yehl
Helping your Child When Divorce Hits Home


"What every child wants most from their parents, I believe, is their time, attention, love, and discipline so they can feel validated."


- Hillary Clinton



"If you don't spend time with your children, and if your children don't turn out all right, it doesn't matter what else you've accomplished."


- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis


"The main problem is not between parents' temperament and the child's, but between the child's temperament and parents' expectations...Work with your child's temperament, not against it."


- William B. Carey
Understand Your Child's Temperament

"Children have more need of models than of critics".


- Carolyn Coats


"Some things just shouldn't be put off. A child who comes running to us for a hug or
lavish exclamation of praise needs it now, not at our convenience."


- Leo Buscoglia


"I might offer prescription, but no pharmacist could fill it.
'Discipline' I thought I might write. 'Regularity of habits. A definite feeding schedule strictly adhered to. Food properly prepared and of sufficient quantity. Sensible clothing. An abundance of sleep and rest. Quiet, peaceful surroundings. Gentleness without coddling. Affection without overindulgence. Firmness without harshness. Solicitude without exaggerated anxiety. To be given three hundred sixty five days a year.'"


- Isaac A. Abt, "Baby Doctor"


"The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope."


- Teilhard de Chardin



"Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children."

  - Walt Disney


"The most desired gift of love is not diamonds, or roses, or chocolates. It is focused attention"


- Richard Warren
(Meant as advice for marriage and courting, of course, but if you change the examples, it pertains just as much to parenting. BB)
"The best way to guarantee a negative behavior never goes away is to respond to it inconsistently."


-Christina Amenta


"I want to close by reminding you that the best insurance against abuse of either drugs or alcohol by your youngster is to concentrate on developing a strong and close emotional relationship between you. Don’t be fooled by the pseudo-independent façade of your teen-ager in early adolescence. He still needs you. Find things to do with your adolescent son or daughter on a one-to-one basis that will mean a great deal to both of you emotionally. In plain and simple terms I’m talking about love; about concern and caring and respect. If you show your teen-ager you deeply respect and love and care for him, it is highly unlikely that he will become heavily involved in the drug scene or misuse liquor. For drugs and liquor, after all, are only a pitiful chemical substitute for your love.” 


-Fitzhugh Dodson

“When the voice and language of authority are the same as the voice and language of love, then obedience and all other forms of agreeable and acceptable behavior are easier for a child. Telling a child we love him is many things besides pet names and endearments, although they are eloquent, too. It’s praise for accomplishment. It’s permission to try and encouragement to try again. It’s acceptance of slow progress, lack of blame for failure. It’s a jubilant hug, an unexpected smile. It’s rules and warnings, given to save hurts and frights. It’s a cared-for bump, a comforted fear. It’s patience while a child learns the ways of a grown-up world.”

​
- Stanley L. Harrison , M.D.

​
​"Love is not simply giving; it is judicious withholding as well. It is judiciously praising and judiciously criticizing. It is judiciously arguing, struggling, confronting, urging, pushing, pulling, in addition to comforting. It is leadership."


- M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled
"Children and teenagers need adults who are curious about their underlying interests, who patiently help them to cultivate these interests and dedicate their ambitions to the pursuit of these passions.Younger children need adult time and support to explore a variety of interests, dabbling so they might figure out where their interests and talents converge."


​-Susan D. Swick, MD and Michael S. Jellinek, MD

​
"Take care of the roots and the flowers will take care of themselves."



- Pico Iyer, The Inner Climate


"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person. He believed in me."


​- Jim Valvano
​

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it."


- Clarence Budington Killard



" The best upbringing that children can receive is to observe their parents taking excellent care of themselves---mind, body, and spirit. Children, being the world's greatest mimics, naturally and automatically model their parents' behavior."


​-Benjamin Spock, MD

"Parents need to understand how their actions can help generate the confidence, the curiosity, the pleasure in learning, the understanding of limits to help children succeed in life."

​-T. Berry Brazelton, MD

​

"No one in the world is a better role model for your children than you are."

-Jay Walkington
​

"Remember that no time spent with your children is ever wasted."

-H. Jackson Brown Life's Little Instruction Book, Vol.2


"Discipline is the second most important thing you can do for a child. Love comes first, discipline second."

- T. Berry Brazelton, MD


"What children need most is responsive attention and caring from adults who are madly in love with them."

-Harriet Mazer


"If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in."

- Rachel Carlson
​
"Parents don't make mistakes because they don't care, but because they care so deeply."

-T. Berry Brazelton, MD

“There are many kinds of success worth having. It is exceedingly interesting and attractive to be a successful business man, or railroad man, or farmer, or a successful lawyer or doctor; or a writer, or President, or a ranchman, or a colonel of a fighting regiment, or to kill grizzly bears and lions. But for unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

“Encouragement is more important than any other aspect of child-raising. It is so important that the lack of it can be considered the basic cause for misbehavior. A misbehaving child is a discouraged child. Each child needs continuous encouragement like a plant needs water. He cannot grow and develop and gain a sense of belonging without encouragement.”

- Rudolf Dreikurs, M.D. (Children: the Challenge)

"What many parents don't realize is that even while your teenager is retreating, he doesn't want you to pull away too."

- Adele Faber

"If you make your children happy now, you'll make them happy twenty years from now by the memory of it."

- Kate Douglas Wiggin

“We add to the hurt when we are critical. Criticism has a withering effect upon people, especially our children. They need guidance and correcting, but constant criticism will destroy their spirit and their ability to succeed… We flourish with kindness and shrivel with unkindness.”

- Billy Graham

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly.

- Andy Rooney

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."

- Burton Hills

“I’ve learned that the fastest way to help my children when they’re expressing a concern, asking a question, or feeling down is to literally stop and listen. It’s looking them in the eye, getting yourself in their mindset, and listening.”

- Stephen Covey

“Live your life in the manner that you would like your kids to live theirs.” 

- Michael Levine
​
“Don’t worry that children never listen to you: worry that they are always watching you.”

- Robert Fulchum


“The knowledge that your parents deeply care for you and truly want the best for you can make up for many technical errors in child-rearing.”

 - Janis Lang Harris (What Good Parents Have in Common)

“When parents communicate approval and trust, when they let it be known that they expect the children to do the right thing, they generally do.”

- Janis Lang Harris


“The main problem is not between the parents’ temperament and the child’s, but between the child’s temperament and parents' expectations. Work with your child’s temperament, not against it.”

- William B. Carey ( Understanding Your Child’s Temperament)



"Although days (and nights, too) sometimes seem overwhelming in taking care of a baby, if we recall our children are only in our temporary care, we will cherish each day and soon find the time has passed too quickly. Our reward is to have them become fine persons who make us happy as we realize that we do live on in our children."

- Victor L. Bedingfield


“We teach our children through everything we say to them.”

-Jim Hensen
 
“ People talk about role-modeling too much these days. But you can’t just model—kids will see right through it. It’s got to be real.”

- Mrs. T. Berry Brazelton
(Told to Dr. Bedingfield when he asked her opinion on parenting.)



“Preaching won’t help keep kids out of trouble. But keeping their minds occupied will.”

- Walt Disney


“A child must be given the time, the necessary tools, and gain your full support and encouragement—no matter what his or her interest may be at the time. In some instances it may take a little seed money, and in all cases it will it will demand your attention, test your patience, and eat into your time. But, regardless of the outcome, what a precious investment and proof of your talent for caring!”

- Hank Ketchem (Creator – “Dennis the Menace”)

“The father and mother of an unnoticed family, who in their seclusion awaken the mind of one child to the idea and love of goodness, who awaken in him a strength of will to repel temptation, and who send him out prepared to profit by the conflicts of life, surpass in influence a Napoleon breaking the world to his sway.”

- William Ellery Channing (1780-1842)
​ 
“Each day of our lives we make deposits into the memory banks of our children.”

- Charles Swindell

“Most mothers, and many fathers will tell anyone who will listen that raising a child is the hardest thing they have ever done.”

- Pepper Schwartz (Peer Marriage)


“Life affords no greater responsibility than the raising of the next generation.”

- C. Everett Koop


"Of all the commentaries on the Scriptures," wrote John Donne, "good examples are the best."
"Our children are watching us live, and what we are shouts louder than anything we can say."
"When we set an example of honesty our children will be honest."
"When we encircle them with love they will be loving."
"When we practice tolerance they will be tolerant."
"When we demonstrate good sportsmanship they will be good sports."
"When we meet life with laughter and a twinkle in our eye they will develop a sense of humor."
"When we are thankful for life's blessings they will be thankful."
"When we express friendliness they will be friendly."
"When we speak words of praise they will praise others."
"When we confront failure, defeat and misfortune with a gallant spirit they will learn to live bravely."
"When our lives affirm our faith in the enduring values of life they will rise above doubt and skepticism."
"When we surround them with the love and goodness of God they will discover life's deeper meaning."
"When we set an example of heroic living they will be heroes."
"Dont' just stand there pointing your finger to the heights you want your children to scale. Start climbing and they will follow!"
​
​- Wilfred A. Peterson
(The Art Of Living)


“When it comes to family goals, one of the greatest attributes you can display to you children is consistency over time. Your children do not need to hear from you only once God loves them and that you love them. They need to hear that message everyday of their lives. They need to be tucked into bed each and every night with the message, ‘God loves you and I love you.’”

- Charles Stanley


“There are many kinds of success worth having. It is exceedingly interesting and attractive to be a successful business man, or railroad man, or farmer, or a successful lawyer or doctor; or a writer, or President, or ranchman, or a colonel of a fighting regiment, or to kill grizzly bears and lions. But for unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.”

- Theodore Roosevelt



“It always surprises me that so few parents realize that the best things you can give children, next to good habits, are good memories, which support and nourish a person for a lifetime; so many parents are busily engaged in instilling good habits at the expense of good memories, that the habits bring only a grim satisfaction in later life, as a substitute for joy.”

- Sydney Harris

 

“A child is not spoiled by giving him what he wants nearly so much as by giving him substitutes for what he really wants —attention, interest, and understanding.”

- Sydney Harris

 

“Ultimately, the key to competent parenthood is in being able to get behind the eyes of your child—seeing what he sees, and feeling what he feels. When he is lonely, he needs your company. When he is defiant, he needs your help in controlling his impulses. When he is afraid, he needs the security of your embrace. When he is curious, he needs your patient instruction.”

- James Dobson
(The Strong-Willed Child)