There are so many different parenting styles out there now. There’s research to show why one method of parenting is better than another, etc. This makes it hard for new parents to decide how they should raise their children. But there’s one thing everyone can agree on; positive parenting is a healthy and effective way to raise your children. These positive parenting quotes give great examples of what it means to be a positive parent who uses assertive yet gentle parenting with their kids.
“Too much love never spoils children. Children become spoiled when we substitute presents for presence.”
Anthony Withman
Children might seem more excited to get a present than spend time with you at the moment, but your presence plays a much more important role in their lives over time.
“Don’t let yourself become so concerned with raising a good kid that you forget you already have one.”
Glennon Melton
Children are born good. They are perfect little beings. And even as they grow and make mistakes, that doesn’t take away their goodness. Treat your child well, and they will be good.
“To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.”
Barbara Johnson
The worst feeling in the world is guilt. You don’t want to look back and regret not spending more time with your children. This life is short.
“If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.”
Haim Ginott
Your words go a long way with children. Not just what we say to them but also what we say in front of them. Never miss an opportunity to speak highly about them.
“If you want your child to choose kindness in their moments of anger, show them kindness in your moments of anger.”
Tana, Such a Little While
Children learn by example much more than they learn from what you tell them. We have to demonstrate what we want our children to do.
“Listen first, talk last.”
Jane Nelson
It’s important that you take time to really listen, especially to your children. Even if you don’t think what they are saying is necessarily important, it’s all important to them.
“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.”
Peggy O’mara
If you speak to your children with kindness, patience, and compassion, they will, in turn, speak to themselves and others in the same manner.
“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.”
Robert Fulghum
Even if it seems like your children aren’t listening to you, they are still always learning from you. They watch what you do and will learn from your actions.
“If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.”
Abigail Van Buren
Responsibility is an important thing that everyone has to learn in life. It’s best to start teaching responsibility when children are young, starting with small responsibilities and working up to larger ones as they get older. Then they will be ready for full responsibility when they become an adult.
“Our children can be our greatest teachers if we are humble enough to receive their lessons.”
Bryan McGill
People think parents are the ones that teach their children, and while that may be true, children also teach their parents many important life lessons.
“I think it’s necessary to let kids get bored once in a while – that’s how they learn to be creative.”
Kim Raver
We live in a world where we rarely face boredom. If we are bored, we get out our phones, watch tv, etc. But it’s essential for children to be able to experience boredom so that they can have that opportunity to get creative and entertain themselves.
“At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.”
Jane D. Hull
Parents are the number one influence for children as they grow and mature. If parents provide a positive influence and experience for their children, their children will live a positive lifestyle.
“There is no such thing as a perfect parent, so just be a real one.”
Sue Atkins
Perfection isn’t real. No one is capable of being perfect, including parents. All parents can do is try their best and always strive for improvements.
“Behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believed first.”
Matthew Jacobsen
Children mimic behavior. If a parent believes in their child, the child will believe in themself. And if a parent does not believe in their child, the child will follow that negative thought process as well.
“When you put faith, hope, and love together, you can raise positive kids in a negative world.”
Zig Ziglar
Faith, hope, and love are all essential values and characteristics when it comes to raising children. If you can instill these traits in your child, they will already be set up for success.
“It is better for your children to come to you by a feeling of respect and gentleness, than by fear.”
Children who listen out of fear don’t listen because they want to. They listen because they’re scared of what will happen if they don’t. It’s better that your children listen to you because they love and respect you, not because they fear you.
“Your words as a parent have great power. Use them wisely and make sure they come from the heart.”
Carolina King
Your words will stay with your children forever, so it’s important that you speak kindly and in an uplifting and positive way. You should speak to them like you would want to speak to others.
“You can’t teach children to behave better by making them feel worse. When children feel better, they behave better.”
Pam Leo
The more positive you can help a child feel, the more positive they will be. Talking down to them or making them feel bad will not motivate them to behave better, it will actually make it worse.
“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 White
Children are the next generation of the world. So the best way to better the world is to raise good children. And the easiest way to teach children to be good is for you to be good in front of them.
“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
You don’t want children’s worth tied to their accomplishments. This will cause fear of failure, insecurities, and more. The best way to avoid this is by loving them and praising them whether they succeed at things or not.
“Speak with your children as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful humans on earth, for what they believe is what they will become.”
Brooke Hampton
Children will believe adults, no matter what they say. So if we treat children like they aren’t good enough, they will believe it.
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”
James Baldwin
It seems like it’s hard to get your children to listen to you, but they will always imitate you. The best way to get your children to take your advice is to follow it yourself.
“It would be unhealthy for a child not to feel they could present their point of view. If your child is argumentative, congratulate yourself that they feel safe enough to share their views openly and passionately with you.”
Dr. Lucy Russell
A child who doesn’t feel safe doesn’t open up. So if your child opens up to you about their feelings, no matter how they do it, it means they feel safe with you.
“It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.”
Ann Landers
The best thing you can do for your child is to teach them, by words and actions, to be able to be independent and do things for themself.
“The moment you begin to actively discover the amazing personhood of your child, parenting starts to feel like less of a burden and more of an adventure.”
Angela Pruess
There’s nothing more rewarding than watching your kids grow and form into their own person. Every parent wonders what their child is going to be like when they grow up, and it’s so fun to watch them get there!
“The best thing you can give to your children is time.”
No amount of money, vacations, clothes, toys, or any other materialistic things will ever measure up to the benefits children will get from your time and attention.
“If your children fear you, they cannot trust you. If they don’t trust you, they cannot learn from you.”
Lori Petro
Trust and respect are much more effective motivators for children and adults! If children obey out of fear, then they will misbehave when you aren’t around. But if they behave because they respect you, they will do what’s right even when you are not there.
“Stop trying to perfect your child, but keep trying to perfect your relationship with him.”
Dr. Henker
No one is capable of being perfect, children included. Don’t focus on trying to better a child to perfection, but focus on bettering your relationship with your child and your child will, in turn, be the best version of themself that they can be.
“I think the best thing we can do for our children is to allow them to do things for themselves, allow them to be strong, allow them to experience life on their own terms… let them be better people, let them believe more in themselves.”
It can be hard for parents to let go of the reigns a little bit, and let kids learn lessons from themselves. But if they don’t get this experience when they are young and fearless, it will be much harder on them when they’re older and the world has a bigger influence on them.
“We shouldn’t ask: How smart are you? But instead: How are you smart?”
Every person, child and adult, has many different strengths. You can build a child’s confidence and self-esteem by focusing on and praising them on their strengths.
“Instead of buying your children all the things you never had, you should teach them all the things you were never taught. Material wears out, but knowledge stays.”
Bruce Lee
Children may seem like they love all of the toys and fun things, and while they probably do, in the long run, your time and energy are going to mean more to them than anything you can buy.
“A parent’s love is whole no matter how many times divided”
Robert Brault
When you have a child, you can’t imagine holding any more love in your heart than you already do. But then you have another, and your heart seems to grow. There’s always more love to be had.
“Children will listen to you after they feel listened to.”
Dr. Jane Nelson
The best way to get a child to listen to you is by taking the time to listen to them. They will feel heard and respected and in turn, will listen to you as well.
“Each day of our lives, we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.”
Charles R. Swindoll
Children have an exceptional memory. And every day, they add their experiences to their memory. Try your best to make sure they are adding positive memories.
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
Margaret Mead
It’s up to us to give our children positive advice, experiences, and life lessons. If you surround them with positivity, they will think positively. We cannot force them what to think, but we can influence them positively.
“Do not educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy, so when they grow up, they’ll know the value of the things, not just the price.”
In a world where there is so much importance placed on money, you must teach your children that happiness is more important than money. If they value their happiness over money, they will make better choices!
“Your children need to have a cushion to fall on. That cushion is you. That cushion is love.”
Carolina King
Children should never have to question whether or not they have their parents love and support. A child should know that no matter what, their parents love them and will be there for them always.
“Children must never work for our love, they must rest in it.”
Gordon Neufeld
Children should never have to earn their parent’s love. They should be loved by their parents no matter what. They should always feel unconditional love.
“If you can control your behavior when everything around you is out of control, you can model for your children a valuable lesson in patience and understanding… and snap an opportunity to shape up character.”
Jane Clayson Johnson
Children learn by our actions. If we want them to have patience and emotional intelligence, you must first have that same control.
“Note to self: my child is not giving me a hard time, he’s having one.”
It can be easy to think that your child is misbehaving and being naughty. But, when a child is acting out, it’s important to remember that they are also struggling with their emotions and their feelings. The best thing we can do is remain calm and allow them to feel their feelings.
“Children don’t just need to be loved; they need to know that nothing they do will change the fact that they’re loved.”
Alfie Khon
A child should never have to question whether or not they are unconditionally loved by their parents. No amount of mistakes should diminish that love.
“Gentle parenting does not mean perfect, it means kind, considerate, calm, empathetic, compassionate, understanding, forgiving. These qualities are not just for our children but for ourselves too.
Kristy Lee
Gentle parenting has nothing to do with a lack of discipline or responsibility and everything to do with treating children with the same respect we give to adults.
“Want kids that love to learn? Make it safe for them to fail.”
If a child fears failure, they will never want to try at anything. A child who feels like they can fail and not lose their parent’s love will not be afraid to try and will enjoy learning new things.
“Teaching is not about answering questions but about raising questions – opening doors for them in places that they could not imagine.”
Yawar Baig
The best way to learn new things is by asking questions. Allow children to ask as many questions as they can.
“What if ‘stop crying’ turned into ‘I’m listening’ for an entire generation?
When your child is upset, even if it’s about something that seems to be insignificant, listen to them as if it’s something very important – because to them, it is!
“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”
Rumi
When you get overwhelmed, it can be easy to raise your voice. But raising your voice does not get your message across any clearer.
“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
The only people who worry about whether or not they are good parents or not are good parents.
“It is easier to build strong children than it is to repair broken men.”
Frederick Douglass
Helping a child develop a good character with good morals and values is much easier than trying to correct poor morals and values as an adult.
“Connect before you correct a child, and whenever possible, redirect them instead.”
Suzanne Tucker
A child will listen to what you have to say a lot better if you can connect with them first before you correct their behavior. And when you correct their behavior, don’t just tell them what they’re doing is wrong, tell them what’s right.
“Children don’t need perfection. They need connection.”
L.R. Knost
Children don’t need a perfect parent. They are kind, forgiving beings. They need a parent who desires to connect and spend quality time with them.
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Final Thoughts On These Positive Parenting Quotes
We hope you enjoyed these parenting quotes! Parenting styles are all of the hype right now, but one thing is for certain – everyone just wants what’s best for their kids. And sometimes that will vary between families and children. What’s best for one child might not be what’s best for another. Let us know in the comments your preferred parenting style!
Kayla is the content creator over at motviationformom.com. She is a wife and mother who loves to share all of the tips, tricks, and life lessons that she has learned over the years with all of her readers. Her primary focus is on children’s education, motherhood, and healthy family relationships!