137 Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
We hope you find these parenting quotes for hard times to be inspirational for you.
- Best Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
- Funny Parenting Quotes To Smile Through it All
- Inspirational Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
- Unconditional Love Parenting Quotes for Difficult Times
- Positive Parenting Quotes For Difficult Times
- Encouraging Parent Quotes for Hard Times
- Summary
Best Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
So often, children are punished for being human. They are not allowed to have grumpy moods, bad days, disrespectful tones, or bad attitudes. Yet, we adults have them all the time. None of us are perfect. We must stop holding our children to a higher standard of perfection than we can attain ourselves. Rebecca Eanes
Any child in his right mind will test the limits. That’s his job. He’s pretty new on the planet, after all, and he’s figuring out the rules. The most common reason that children test the limits is that they really want to find out where those limits are. Children need the security of knowing that someone more experienced and knowledgeable is looking out for them. They don’t feel safe when we don’t guide and nurture. That’s why we often say that children will keep pushing until they find our limits. Dr. Laura Markham
A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten and the future worth living for. Unknown
Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work. C.S. Lewis
Everything that happens to me in a day enhances my parenting. Pamela Adlon
If we don’t shape our kids, they will be shaped by outside forces that don’t care what shape our kids are in. Dr. Louise Hart
Be the calm you want to see in your child. Renee Jain
Parenting is the biggest sacrifice one can make. It’s putting your life on hold to fulfill the promise of your children’s tomorrow. Unknown
Instead of questioning the way we handle things (and feeling guilty), what if we looked at those moments as our children showing us where we need to grow raising us up. What a gift that would be. Ashley Soderlund, Ph.D.
If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves. Carl Jung
Never fear to spoil children by making them too happy. Happiness is the atmosphere in which all good affections grow. Thomas Bray
Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself. Saint Francis de Sales
Parenting is really just a matter of tracking, of hoping your kids do not get so far ahead you can no longer see their next moves. Jodi Picoult
The trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away your days waiting for better ones ahead. Marjorie Pay Hinkley
Speak to your children as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful and magical humans on earth. For what they believe is what they will become. Brooke Hampton
Remember you are not managing an inconvenience. You are raising a human being. Kittie Franz
Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. James Baldwin Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
The miracle of children is that we just don’t know how they will change or who they will become. Eileen Kennedy-Moore
If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence. Carol S. Dweck
The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways. Unknown
Parents must lead by example. Don’t use the cliche; do as I say and not as I do. We are our children’s first and most important role models. Lee Haney
Funny Parenting Quotes To Smile Through it All
A dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person in it. Mary Karr
Anybody out there who is a parent, if your kids want to paint their bedrooms, as a favor to me, let them do it. It’ll be OK. Randy Pausch
If your baby is beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, and is an angel all the time – you’re the grandma. Theresa Bloomingdale
My biggest parenting conundrum: why it is so hard to put someone who is already sleepy to sleep. Chrissy Teigen
Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing. Phyllis Diller
Having a child is like getting a tattoo on your face. You better be committed. Elizabeth Gilbert Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
Everyone should have kids. They are the greatest joy in the world. But they are also terrorists. You’ll realize this as soon as they’re born, and they start using sleep deprivation to break you. Ray Romano
Nobody is hungrier than the kid who has been told it’s time for bed. Unknown
Not all who wander are lost. Some are just moms in Target, hiding from their kids. Unknown
A 2-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it. Jerry Seinfeld
My kid is turning out just like me. Well played, karma. Well played. Unknown
When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so someone in the house is happy to see you. Nora Ephron
People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one. Leo J. Burke
I love when my kids tell me they’re bored. As if the lady standing in front of a full sink of dirty dishes is where you go to get ideas about how to have a good time. Unknown
Children learn to smile from their parents. Shinici Suzuki
If you can’t take a joke, don’t have children. Unknown
Having children is like living in a frat house – nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up. Ray Romano
Inspirational Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today. Barbara Johnson
No parent is always conscious, gentle, positive, peaceful, and authentic. We have to choose to be and practice moment by moment, day after day. The more we practice, the stronger we grow. Lelia Schott
We’re all imperfect parents, and that’s perfectly okay. Tiny humans need connection, not perfection. L.R. Knost
Do the best you can do until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. Maya Angelou
Babies are always a lot more trouble than you thought – and more wonderful. Charles Osgood Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
Perhaps it takes courage to raise children. John Steinbeck
A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone. Billy Graham
Parenting has nothing to do with perfection. Perfection isn’t even the goal, not for us, not for our children. Learning together to live well in an imperfect world, loving each other despite or even because of our imperfections, and growing as humans while we grow our little humans, those are the goals of gentle parenting. So don’t ask yourself at the end of the day if you did everything right. Ask yourself what you learned and how well you loved, then grow from your answer. That is perfect parenting. L.R. Knost
There is no such thing as a perfect parent so just be a real one. Sue Atkins
In raising my children, I have lost my mind, but found my soul. Unknown
Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed. Linda Wooten
Zen parents aren’t born, self-regulation is not a skill to master or an inherent trait, but rather a journey within ourselves that can always grow, change, and adapt. Ashley Soderlund, Ph.D.
Children do not need us to shape them. They need us to respond to who they are. Naomi Aldort
You don’t have to be perfect. We’re all going to mess up at times. We’re all going to be fearful, we’re going to be grumpy. Just repair and move on. Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.
We are apt to forget that children watch examples better than they listen to preaching. Roy L. Smith
No matter how much time you spend reading books or following your intuition, you’re gonna screw it up. Fifty times. You can’t do parenting right. Alan Arkin
Parenting is the easiest thing in the world to have an opinion about, but the hardest thing in the world to do. Matt Walsh
No one is ever quite ready; everyone is always caught off guard. Parenthood chooses you. And you open your eyes, look at what you’ve got, say Oh, my gosh, and recognize that of all the balls there ever were, this is the one you should not drop. It’s not a question of choice. Marisa de Los Santos
There is no way to be a perfect parent and there are a million ways to be a good one. Jill Churchill
Indeed – judicious, consistent parenting is a dream of mine. No judgments, learning space and listening carefully are my goals. Emma Thompson
One thing I had learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun. Jane Goodall
If you’re completely exhausted and don’t know how you’re going to keep giving this much of yourself day after day, you’re probably a good parent. Bunmi Laditan
As a mother, my job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible. Ruth Bell Graham
Parents are the bones on which children cut their teeth. Peter Ustinov
The Golden Rule of Parenting is to do unto your children as you wish your parents had done unto you! Louise Hart
The most powerful way to change the world is to live in front of our children the way we would like the world to be. Graham R. White
Unconditional Love Parenting Quotes for Difficult Times
Don’t let yourself become so concerned with raising a good kid that you forget you already have one. Glennon Melton-Doyle Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
Love is staying up all night with a sick child – or a healthy adult. David Frost
So our job as parents is not to make a particular kind of child. Instead, our job is to provide a protected space of love, safety, and stability in which children of many unpredictable kinds can flourish. Our job is not to shape our children’s minds; it’s to let those minds explore all the possibilities that the world allows. Our job is not to tell children how to play; it’s to give them the toys and pick the toys up again after the kids are done. We can’t make children learn, but we can let them learn. Alison Gopnik
A mother’s love is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking. It never fails or falters even though the heart is breaking. Helen Rice
By loving them for more than their abilities, we show our children that they are much more than the sum of their accomplishments. Eileen Kennedy-Moore
I may not be able to give my kids everything they want, but I give them what they need: love, time, and attention. You can’t buy those things. Nishan Panwar
Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Thomas S. Monson
As your kids grow up, they may forget what you said, but they won’t forget how you made them feel. Kevin Heath
Your kids require you most of all to love them for who they are, not to spend your whole time trying to correct them. Bill Ayers
You have to love your children unselfishly. That is hard. But it is the only way. Barbara Bush
The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. Honore de Balzac
Mother nature is providential. She gives us twelve years to develop a love for our children before turning them into teenagers. William Galvin
Parental love is the only love that is truly selfless, unconditional and forgiving. T.P. Chia
Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it. Harold Hubert
A parent’s love is whole, no matter how many times divided. Robert Brault
What it’s like to be a parent; it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but in exchange, it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love. Nicholas Sparks
Perhaps one day, they’ll understand all the sacrifices she gladly made out of love for them. John Mark Green Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
The depth of the love of parents for their children cannot be measured. It is like no other relationship. It exceeds concern for life itself. The love of a parent for a child is continuous and transcends heartbreak and disappointment. James E. Faust
A parent’s love is made of deep devotion, sacrifice, and pain; It is endless and unselfish, and enduring come what may. Unknown
You must first teach a child he is loved. Only then is he ready to learn everything else. Amanda Morgan
Love doesn’t have goals or benchmarks or blueprints, but it does have a purpose. The purpose is not to change the people we love, but to give them what they need to thrive. Love’s purpose is not to shape our beloved’s destiny, but to help them shape their own. It isn’t to show them the way, but to help them find a path for themselves, even if the path they take isn’t one we would choose ourselves or even one we would choose for them. Alison Gopnik
Positive Parenting Quotes For Difficult Times
Motherhood is a constant learning process that requires flexibility and a sense of humor. And just when you think you have it all figured out, your children like to remind you that you certainly don’t. Stacey A. Shannon
Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. Robert Fulghum
At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents. Jane D. Hull
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
Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom. Viktor Frankl
Sometimes, kids want you to hurt the way they hurt. Mitch Albom
The truth is, parenting as well as we can is always hard – really, truly, the hardest thing any of us has ever done. Laura Markham
Parenthood…It’s about guiding the next generation and forgiving the last. Peter Krause
Having a parent who listens creates a child who believes he or she has a voice that matters in this world. Rachel Macy Stafford
Say ‘no’ only when it really matters. Wear a bright red shirt with bright orange shorts. Sure. Put water in the toy tea set. Okay. Sleep with your head at the foot of the bed? Fine. Gretchen Rubin
It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless. L.R. Knost
Behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believed first. Matthew Jacobson Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
God could not be everywhere so he created mothers. Jewish Proverb
Hugs can do great amounts of good – especially for children. Princess Diana
As a single mom, I’m juggling a lot and working long hours. Yes, it costs them a little, but what my children get in return is a mother who is energized and content. Edie Falco
Affirming words from moms and dads are like light switches. Speak a word of affirmation at the right moment in a child’s life, and it’s like lighting up a whole roomful of possibilities. Gary Smalley
My children aren’t a burden or annoyance; they are my greatest masterpiece. Stacey A. Shannon
Encourage and support your kids because children are apt to live up to what you believe of them. Lady Bird Johnson
Don’t try to be perfect. Life isn’t. No one is. Use mistakes and mishaps as opportunities to grow tolerance and to teach. Teri Hatcher
Encouraging Parent Quotes for Hard Times
Motherhood has completely changed me. It’s just about like the most completely humbling experience that I’ve ever had. I think that it puts you in your place because it really forces you to address the issues that you claim to believe in and if you can’t stand up to those principles when you’re raising a child, forget it. Diane Keaton
Play helps build a warm relationship between family members and creates a bank of positive feelings and experiences that can be drawn upon in times of conflict. Through play, you can help your children solve problems, test out ideas, and explore their imaginations. Carolyn Webster-Stratton
If you’ve never been hated by your child, you’ve never been a parent. Bette Davis
It takes a village to raise a child. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Unknown
Parents are the ultimate role models for children. Every word, movement and action have an effect. No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than the parent. Bob Keeshan
Making the decision to have a child it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. Elizabeth Stone
I came to parenting the way most of us do – knowing nothing and trying to learn everything. Mayim Bialik
You will never really know what kind of parent you were or if you did it right or wrong. Never. And you will worry about this and them as long as you live. But when your children have children, and you watch them do what they do, you will have part of an answer. Robert Fulghum
It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity, there is beauty, and there is strength. Maya Angelou
The thing about parenting rules is there aren’t any. That’s what makes it so difficult. Ewan McGregor
Having kids made me clearer about who I was as a woman. Reese Witherspoon
motivates us to change.” width=”800″ height=”800″ />We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us pain that motivates us to change. Henry Cloud
I don’t have any romantic views of parenting. Every step of the way it’s really hard. It’s a dangerous world, physically and psychologically. Anne Lamott
Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy. Saadi
Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws. Barbara Kingsolver Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws. Barbara Kingsolver Parenting Quotes for Hard Times
Allow children to be happy in their own way, for what better way will they find? Samuel Johnson
The point of parenting is not 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
The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. Peggy O’Mara
Children are just different from one another, especially in temperament. Some are shy, others bold; some active, some quiet; some confident, others less so. Respect for individual differences is in my view the cornerstone of good parent-child relationships. Sandra Scarr
Children start out loving their parents, but as they grow older and discover their parents are human, they become judgmental. And sometimes, when they mature, they forgive their parents, especially when they discover they are also human. Oscar Wilde
Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands. Anne Frank
Parenting shouldn’t feel like a competitive sport. It’s plenty challenging without any added obstacles. Strive to be loving and kind; have the courage to ask for help; take a break when you need it; celebrate all the great stuff; be kind to yourself, and be yourself. That’s who your kid loves anyways. Ariadne Brill
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. Robert Brault
Be the parent today that you want your kids to remember tomorrow. Unknown
Always kiss your children goodnight, even if they’re already asleep. H. Jackson Brown Jr.
What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all. Benjamin Spock
To be a good parent, you need to take care of yourself so that you can have the physical and emotional energy to take care of your family. Michelle Obama
When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not join their chaos. L.R. Knost
A child seldom needs a good talking to as a good listening to. Robert Brault
You’re always going to wonder if you’re doing things wrong. But that’s what it means to be a mom, to care so much about someone else that you just want to be as perfect as possible. Naya Rivera
I think it’s necessary to let kids get bored once in a while – that’s how they learn to be creative. Kim Raver
Your goal in disciplining your child is actually to help him develop self-discipline, meaning to assume responsibility for his actions, whether the authority figure is present or not. Dr. Laura Markham
If I had to make a general rule for living and working with children, it might be this: Be wary of saying or doing anything to a child that you would not do to another adult, whose good opinion and affection you valued. John Holt
Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first, we have to make them feel worse? Think of the last time you felt humiliated or treated unfairly. Did you feel like cooperating or doing better? Jane Nelson
Summary
Source: Building Resilience in Troubled Times: A Guide for Parents from the Center for the Study of Social Policy (Ideas into Action)
There are five strengths that every parent should work to develop to the best of their ability:
- Resilience
- Staying connected even when you can’t be together
- Get help when you need it
- Understand what your child needs at their developmental stage
- Build your child’s emotional and relational health
That was a lot of advice and you have probably found many more sources.
Here is The Center for the Study of Social Policy’s summary for parents:
- When you take time for your own self care, it is also best for you kids.
- Acknowledge that no one is a perfect parent and that you are doing the best you can with what you know.
- There will be ups and downs. That is a natual part of the parenting process.
- Share happy and humorous times with your children, and encourage them to investigate their own emotions. Flexibility and structure are both important!
- Stay connected and help your kids stay connected to the important people in your lives.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance and help others when they ask for it.
Dr. Amanda Sovik-Johnson (Owner and CEO of Virginia Family Therapy Services offers this list of Top Ten Ways to Suppport Your Family Through Tough Times.
- Pay attention to how the adults are doning. Give energy to yourself and the other adults in your family.
- Keep things such as mealtime and bedtime as consistent and as routine as you can.
- Maintain realistic expectations of yourself.
- Prioritize where you spend your time and energy. Say no to things that are not at the top of your list of importance.
- Maintain realistic expectations for your children.
- Stay in touch with your childrens’ schools regarding their social and academic progress and needs.
- Get enough sleep and exercise.
- Spend some quality, undistracted time with each of your children every day.
- Practice gratefullness every day.
Here are four things you can do to help your children become more resilient and emotionally intelligent in hard times.
- Just because you acknowledge your child’s sentiments doesn’t mean you support or approve of the decisions they make. It merely entails demonstrating your understanding of, and acceptance of, them.
- Normalize experiences. Point out similar issues that you or other family members experienced.
- Provide touch and phusical comfort.
- Teach that the quality of your child’s relationships is more important than the quantity.
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