23 Inspirational Parenting Quotes To Prepare for Parenthood

Are you expecting your first child? Adding one more little one to your growing family? Inspirational parenting quotes can help prepare you for parenthood! How? Read on to see how parenting quotes are words with power that can help.

“Seven things every child needs to hear: I love you, I’m proud of you, I’m sorry, I forgive you, I’m listening. This is your responsibility. You have what it takes to succeed.” — Sherrie Campbell, PhD
“Children need models rather than critics.” — Joseph Joubert
“Kids deserve the right to think that they can change the world.” — Lois Lowry
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” — Frederick Douglass
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” — James Baldwin
“Cherish your children for they are the footprints you will leave behind.” — Taylor Evan Fulks
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.” — George Washington Carver
“Our job is not to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. Our job is to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.” — L.R. Knost
“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.” — Stacia Tauscher
“Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse? Think of the last time you felt humiliated or treated unfairly. Did you feel like cooperating or doing better?” — Jane Nelson
“Too often, I think, children are required to write before they have anything to say. Teach them to think and read and talk with self-repression, and they will write because they cannot help it.” — Anne Sullivan
“If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them and half as much money.” — Abigail Van Buren
“Too much love never spoils children. Children become spoiled when we substitute presents for presence.” — Anthony Witham
“Children will listen to you after they feel listened to.” — Jane Nelsen
“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.” — Peggy O’Mara
“Always kiss your children goodnight, even if they’re already asleep.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
“The first happiness of a child is to know that he is loved.” — Don Bosco
“The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways.” — Russell Barkley
“The best way to make children good is to make them happy.” — Oscar Wilde
“There are three things that a child can teach an adult: To be happy for no reason; to be always busy doing something; And to know how to demand – with all one’s might – what one wants.” — Paulo Coelho
“Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted.” — Garrison Keillor
“Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.” — Rabindranath Tagore
“There is no sound more annoying than the chatter of a child, and none more sad than the silence they leave when they are gone.” — Mark Lawrence

Becoming a parent can be a scary experience, whether you’re doing it for the first time or are a seasoned veteran. Each new child brings with them the anxiety of the unknown and a whole new basket of stresses.

Thankfully, being a parent is one of the most rewarding things you can ever experience in life and all of those stresses, uncertainties and anxiety will quickly be overshadowed by the love and compassion you have for your children.

All it takes is one long look into their innocent eyes or the feel of them against your bare skin and you’ll quickly feel everything melt away, so that only love remains.

As you approach the day when you can finally call yourself a parent, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

Don’t worry!

Every parent before you has felt this way and there are plenty of inspirational parenting quotes out there to help give you the confidence you need to be a great role model for your kids. Even though it all feels overwhelming right now, you’ll quickly come to realize that parenting comes naturally—it’s in our DNA to be caregivers, tending to the needs of our own flesh and blood.

Inspirational parenting quotes help to reassure

Whether you need something to reassure you or are searching for a few funny parenting quotes to add levity to the situation, there’s no shortage of adages out there dedicated to the hectic life of being a parent.

Take a look at a few of the most important things to remember when it comes to raising your kids and be sure to read the wise words of parents that have come before you as you come to understand your role as a parent.

Always remember that there’s no ‘right’ way to raise a child. Instead, the best thing you can do for them is to nurture them lovingly and guide them in the right direction as they begin to understand the world around them.

Parenting quotes and encouraging kids

As a parent, you’re going to wear a lot of different hats. One of the most frequent roles you’re going to take on is being a cheerleader for your kids. Because their formative years will be spent exploring and learning about the world around them, trying new things and making mistakes, you’ll need to constantly be there to cheer them on, encouraging them to keep pressing onward.

Some of the best inspirational parenting quotes are those that remind us of how important a parent’s approval can be. Getting excited about the things your kids are interested in, encouraging them to pursue their interests and being there for their triumphs and shortcomings are all part of being a good parent.

And, through all of this, you’ll need to be the consistent voice for positivity! Telling them ‘good job’ or ‘I believe in you’ or ‘I’m proud of you’ are all going to have a profound impact on how your child grows up.

Being the inspirational voice for encouragement for your kids is the best thing you can do as a parent. Not only will your children appreciate your support in the moment, they’ll glean confidence and self-worth from your praise that follows them throughout their lives.

Inspirational parenting quotes and parenting to set a good example for children to follow

Kids learn by example and the example they follow most is one the one set by their parents. Even when you think your kids aren’t looking, they are—always observing you to learn more about how they should behave in a world they’re still making sense of. How you behave will be emulated by your children, so strive to always set the right example for them.

Read positive parenting quotes to learn how you can instill good lessons in your children, even when you’re not directly teaching them. For example, you might inadvertently teach them the value of honesty by returning money you find on the ground.

By standing by clear virtues, you’ll teach your kids exactly how they should behave and set an example they’ll always be able to reflect upon.

The best proud parents quotes are those extolling parents who have watched their kids grow into responsible, genuine adults. It’s the hope and dream of every parent to have a child that becomes an adult who is responsible, honest, moral and virtuous.

It’s important to remember that these traits come from you, the parent! The best way to make sure they’re passed on is to set a good example for them.

Teach children them compassion and selflessness

There are some traits that are just essential for everyone to have. Compassion and selflessness are two of them. These are traits that children learn from their parents, which means one of your first jobs as a parent is to introduce these concepts to your kids.

Turn to inspirational parenting quotes to learn more about compassion and selflessness, and make sure you’re familiarizing your children with what it means to have empathy, altruism and kindness. This can range from teaching them simple courtesy, to imparting in them lessons of virtue like helping those around them or donating their time to a good cause.

A child that learns to put others first is one that will grow into a person appreciative of life and cognizant of the feelings of others.

There are many quotes about loving your child out there, and it’s important to make sure you’re teaching them how to pass this love along to others in their lives as well.

A child that is well-loved will learn to love, and they’ll become a beacon for compassion and selflessness that attracts the love and admiration of others throughout their lifetime.

Let kids be kids and don’t make them grow up too fast

Many parents want their kids to stay little forever. But, as soon as they enter their formative years, there’s a sudden rush to get them to grow up!

We enroll them in classes and clubs, push them to do this and that, and eventually, there’s not enough time in the day to just be a kid. Eventually, your child will grow up and not be a kid anymore, and you’ll wonder where the time went! Don’t fall into this trap!

Instead, take a measured approach to your child’s development and make sure they have plenty of time to enjoy being young and carefree.

Parenting love quotes remind us of how nice it would be if our kids were kids forever, but while that’s not possible, we’re reminded to treasure the time they are little.

Let them goof off for a whole afternoon or spend the day running around outdoors—whatever it takes to put a smile on their face and let them enjoy their earliest memories.

There’s no shortage of good parenting quotes that encourage us to let kids be kids. Keep a few of these handy when you’re pressured by other parents to push your kid to grow up early. Instead, cherish the few years you have of your youngster—they’ll be big before you know it!

There’s no substitute for attention

These days, family dinners and movie nights are a relic of the past. People are so busy with everything else they’re doing that family time often gets shoved to the back burner.

Don’t let this be the case with your family! Your kids need the wholesomeness and attention that comes with family interaction—it’ll play a big role in how they develop into adults.

You’re bound to find more than a few quotes on being a parent that extol the importance of family time. Take these words to heart, because there’s no substitute for togetherness. Whether it’s sitting down to a meal and listening to each other talk about the day or getting together for a road trip, these are the experiences that will shape your child.

It’s through family that they’ll form their closest bonds.

Make sure you’re not ignoring those parenting quotes that put importance on family interaction. Even if it’s just face-to-face, one-on-one time spent with your child, it’s important to give them your undivided attention.

Talk to them about things that are important to them, share your insights and experiences, bond over shared interests and more—it’ll all go a long way towards making them feel loved and understood.

Parenting is a two-way communication channel

One thing to never forget when it comes to your kids is that parenting is always a two-way conduit. You teach them lessons and they receive them, they ask you questions and you answer them, and so on. There should always be a sense of openness and honesty in the communication between parents and children, to ensure it’s a bond that remains pure throughout life.

Even when they have no one else to talk to, your child should be able to talk to you.

Inspirational parenting quotes help us understand the meaning of being both a good teacher and a good listener. If you’re constantly talking at your children, they might never feel like they can talk to you. Likewise, if you don’t take the time to communicate with your kids, it might be hard for them to communicate with you.

Of the many parenting quotes out there, the ones that illustrate communication are among the most important. Communication is the cornerstone of any good relationship and an absolute necessity for maintaining a positive relationship with your kids.

Love them unconditionally

Your kids are going to do things that make you mad, that hurt you, or that make you feel slighted. They might even do things that you can’t comprehend or don’t understand. It’s at these times especially that you must love them.

Parenting quotes for hard times help us remember that unconditional love is what every parent needs to stand by when it comes to their children.

Unconditional love is bound to have its ups and downs. Every accomplishment your child achieves gives you another reason to love them. Likewise, when they put your patience to the test, you might have to look through the frustration and anger to find the love.

Regardless, love for your child should always be present. Never forget how truly inspirational unconditional love can be.

Teach them the value of happiness

The world is filled with things that will try to drag your kids down someday. Whether they’re being bullied at school, coping with a disability or just going through a rough patch in life, it’s crucial to teach them how to find happiness.

Teaching your child the value of happiness is especially true if trauma is familiar to them at a young age. If you’ve gone through a divorce or your child has battled an illness, it can be hard for them to see the bright side of things. Make sure they not only see the positives in life, but learn to embrace them!

Single parenting quotes and inspirational parenting quotes will help you connect with your kids on happy terms, so that they have just as many or more good things in their life as they do bad ones.

Being able to appreciate happiness as a child will also help your kids grow up healthily. Their ability to put a positive spin on life and find joy in the little things are invaluable coping skills for dealing with a world that’s not always fair or logical.

Remember to put them first, always

The biggest thing you’ll have to remember as a parent is that your child always comes first, no matter what. Nothing is more important or will be for the rest of your life. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay—it’s what made you want to become a parent in the first place!

Sometimes all you need are the right words to help you put things in perspective as a parent. From parenting teenager quotes that help you remember to love your bratty teen unconditionally, to co-parenting quotes that instill the value of a close-knit family, there are so many lessons to be learned and passed on to your kids.

And, through all of the strife and stress, positivity and good times, you’ll always have the comfort in knowing that being a parent is fulfilling.

We hope you were inspired by the above funny quotes for kids, which are part of our inspirational quotes for family series.

What are the best inspirational parenting quotes you know? Share them with us in the comments below to inspire others to find the same positivity you’re working toward!