I received this set of fabulous quotes on parenting and children in my inbox recently.

A parent who has never apologized to his children is a monster. If he’s always apologizing, his children are monsters. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic’s Notebook , 1966

You don’t

really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. ~William D. Tammeus

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Always kiss your children goodnight - even if they’re already asleep. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while. ~Josh Billings

There comes a time when a woman needs to stop thinking about her looks and focus her energies on raising her children. This time comes at the moment of conception. A child needs a role model, not a supermodel. ~Astrid Alauda, on the “hot mom” trend

Your children need your presence more than your presents. ~Jesse Jackson

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

Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. ~Robert Fulghum

Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn’t have anything to do with it. ~Haim Ginott

If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. ~Abigail Van Buren

The quickest way for a parent to get a child’s attention is to sit down and look comfortable. ~Lane Olinghouse

Don’t handicap your children by making their lives easy. ~Robert A. Heinlein

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. ~Roger Lewin

The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children. ~Edward, Duke of Windsor, Look , 5 March 1957

How pleasant it is for a father to sit at his child’s board. It is like an aged man reclining under the shadow of an oak which he has planted. ~Walter Scott

You will always be your child’s favorite toy. ~Vicki Lansky, Trouble-Free Travel with Children , 1991

If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others. ~Haim Ginott

The hardest part of raising a child is teaching them to ride bicycles. A shaky child on a bicycle for the first time needs both support and freedom. The realization that this is what the child will always need can hit hard. ~Sloan Wilson

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, from “If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again”

Ma-ma does everything for the baby, who responds by saying Da-da first. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, 1966

Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners. ~Author Unknown

A child, like your stomach, doesn’t need all you can afford to give it. ~Frank A. Clark

Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he’s buying. ~Fran Lebowitz, Social Studies

If you’re looking for a bank bursting with quotes, just hop over to Quote Garden.

** Surfingmama Invitation: Showcase your blog articles to millions of internet-surfing mums through the Surfingmama Blog Carnival. Make a difference to mums all over the world. Submit practical, humorous & informative articles that mums would appreciate!

Related links:
Scattered toys, lazy mum and independent child
Quote Garden
Parenting: 8 ways to avoid conflict with your child
Parenting: 5 tricks for child tantrums