#parenting

The only power that can effect transformations of the order (of Jesus) is love. It remained for the 20th century to discover that locked within the atom is the energy of the sun itself. For this energy to be released, the atom must be bombarded from without. So too, locked in every human being is a store of love that partakes of the divine- the imago dei, image of god…And it too can be activated only through bombardment, in its case, love’s bombardment. The process begins in infancy, where a mother’s initially unilateral loving smile awakens love in her baby and as coordination develops, elicits its answering smile… A loving human being is not produced by exhortations, rules and threats. Love can only take root in children when it comes to them- initially and most importantly from nurturing parents. Ontogenetically speaking, love is an answering phenomenon. It is literally a response. ↗

— Huston Smith

#parenting #religion #spirituality #love

Single moms: You are a doctor, a teacher, a nurse, a maid, a cook, a referee, a heroine, a provider, a defender, a protector, a true Superwoman. Wear your cape proudly. ↗

— Mandy Hale

#children #moms #mothers #mothers-love #parenting

The family teaches us about the importance of knowledge, education, hard work and effort. It teaches us about enjoying ourselves, having fun, keeping fit and healthy. ↗

— Kamisese Mara

#about #education #effort #enjoying #family

To me luxury is to be at home with my daughter, and the occasional massage doesn't hurt. ↗

— Olivia Newton-John

#daughter #home #hurt #luxury #massage

Don't reward bad behavior. It is one of the first rules of parenting. During the financial cataclysm of 2008, we said it differently. When we bailed out banks that had created their own misfortune, we called it a 'moral hazard,' because the bailout absolved the bank's bad acts and created an incentive for it to make the same bad loans again. ↗

— Eliot Spitzer

#again #bad #bailed #bailout #bank

What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all. ↗

— Benjamin Spock

#after #babies #best #doing #fathers

The child supplies the power but the parents have to do the steering. ↗

— Benjamin Spock

#child #parents #power #steering #supplies

We are apt to forget that children watch examples better than they listen to preaching. ↗

— Roy L. Smith

#apt #better #children #examples #forget

There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. ↗

— Hodding Carter

#bequests #children #give #hope #lasting

The best parenting advice I ever got was from a labor nurse who told me the following: 1. After your baby gets here, the dog will just be a dog. 2. The terrible twos last through age three. 3. Never ask your child an open-ended question, such as "Do you want to go to bed now?" You won't want to hear the answer, believe me. "Do you want me to carry you upstairs, or do you want to walk upstairs to go to bed?" That way, you get the outcome you want and they feel empowered. ↗

— Jodi Picoult

#age