Great advice, I'm going to keep that in mind as I watch my grandkids grow up and go through all their different stages, thanks
My best parenting tip was to let your children be who they are. Don't try to mold them into the image and person you want them to be but allow them to be who they were meant to be. My ex couldn't do that with my daughters. He was always trying to make them go to the college he wanted and to major in what he wanted. You have to simply let them become the adults they were meant to be.
The best advice I ever received is to admit when I am wrong and made a mistake. Then to say I'm sorry to the child I offended. It helps them to see that Mommy is not perfect and also can admit it - especially to them.
I love that advice Marti! I'm going to pass it on to my daughter.
The best advice I got was from my daughter! She was 12 years old and was talking away. I wasn't really listening, of course, so she stopped me and Said "what did I just say?, don't you know when your kids are talking to you, they want you to pay attention!" OUCH! It made me a better listener.
I'm cheating. I have two.
The first came from a speaker at a women's conference. She said the best thing parents can do for their children is to love each other. I asked just exactly what are single parents supposed to do? Her answer was to let them see you giving and receiving love with other adults. With our Girl Scouts we have seen this played out. Girls from broken and painful families join wanting to know why they would voluntarily do something for someone else if they don't get anything for it. A year or two later they are asking to do service projects and offerring ideas on ways they can help others.
The second came from my husband, whose father did not have much of a relationship with his sons until they were grown. He said, "If I want to be my sons' friend when they are grown I need to be their friend when they are small." He did not mean that he was not going to be the parent. He meant that he needed to be actively involved in their lives, in the things that were important to them - and he still goes to every performance or fencing tournament they are in.
Wow. Some good stuff here.
