Child to parent: "In the end, I will do as you do, not as you say."

Children have an excuse for acting childish, grown-ups do not.

A word, once said, some say is dead.
I say it just begins to live that day.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Growing up means doing what you have to do, not just what you want to do.

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

Our children represent our conscience, outwardly manifested.

Children keep us in check. Their laughter prevents our hearts from hardening. Their dreams ensure we never lose our drive to make ours a better world. They are the greatest disciplinarians known to mankind.

Queen Rania of Jordan, Hello Magazine

Affection without sentiment, authority without cruelty, discipline without aggression, humor without ridicule, sacrifice without obligation, companionship without possessiveness.

William E. Blatz

I recently had coffee with a Buddhist friend and her very energetic young daughter. While the girl was playing around, she banged her her elbow against a table and started crying. In my family, to console a child, we would have playfully hit the table back and said "bad table". However in the exact same situation, my very wise friend took her child back to table where the little girl said "Sorry table, I hope I didn't hurt you. I promise to be more careful next time".

For my child, the past and future have no significance. He lives entirely in the moment. He doesn't care if I just changed his diaper 20 minutes ago, or I have to be somewhere important in 20 minutes. He is completely in the present, communicating exactly and authentically what he is feeling right now.

Hiccups are a mere annoyance for adults. For babies, they're a violent, body-shaking experience that induces cringes in parents.

I thought that years of international travel had made me a patient person. Then I became a parent and am now learning a whole different level of patience.

Seeing how comfortable a baby is in a warm bath is an amazing thing.