It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise our children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless. - L.R Knost

If you want your kids grow into capable, independent adults, give them space to make some decisions without you controlling their every move. Back off. Let them try. Let them fail. It's not about them always getting it right, it's about them learning not to be afraid to try. - Brooke Hampton

Your child's mental health is more important than their grades. - Unknown

Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff. - Catherine M. Wallace

"Grow up," we say. "Stop crying," we plead. "Be quiet," we scream. "Do as you're told," we demand. And then we wonder why there are so many adults who can't find the courage to speak, or feel, or create. Maybe there are so many wild souls in cages because we put them there. - Brooke Hampton

You can't teach creativity: all you can do is let it blossom. And it blossoms in play. - Peter Gray

"In a houseful of toddlers and pets, you can start out having a bad day, but you keep getting detoured." - Robert Brault , this is so so so true, my stress and sadness all melt away at the end of the day when I see Gabriel. So wishful think that someone will see me that way too, my loving partner, maybe.

Instant obedience and mindless compliance are poor goals, indeed, when raising children. A thoughtfully questioning, passionately curious, and humorously resourceful child who wants to know why, who delights in inventing "compromises," and who endlessly pushes the boundaries tends to grow into a thoughtful, passionate, resourceful adult who will change the world rather than being changed by the world. - L.R. Knost