Cammie Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Mine is also "don't sweat the small stuff." When I was growing up my parent's had this same philosophy. I knew that there was small stuff (dying your hair purple, listening to music they didn't understand, etc.) and there was big stuff (drugs, school.) My parents chose their battles only on the big issues.... I try to do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "Don't strangle them. It's illegal." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 A child is but a visitor in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDad Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 That's a really great philosophy. :001_smile: :iagree: "Don't strangle them. It's illegal." Not sure whether to :001_huh: or :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "Don't strangle them. It's illegal." :lol: I tend to tell myself, "Just breathe" frequently. So, I guess that's my mantra. My kids would say it's "Where's your checklist" or "Are your chores done?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane in CO Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Keep it together keep it together keep it together - One of my favorite phrases from the movie Bowfinger :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) I borrowed mine from the Torah, and it has kept me sane: "The days are long but the years are short." It's the truest one I can think of. Edited June 20, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Above all else, love them, unconditionally, never forgetting to grant as much grace and mercy as is needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devan Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 The days are long, but the years are short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Kids are resilient. or... Find balance. Yep, that would be mine too. The other would be "Just relax." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I like a lot of these. Mine would probably be "keep them close." I love the "Hold On To Your Kids" book by Gabor Mate and somebody else and I love focusing on building strong family bonds and keeping them close so I can nurture them and love on them and watch over them. This starts from birth when we co-sleep and they are on my physical person constantly from day 1. I know there is someday I will have to let go, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I'm not perfect. I don't have to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heart'sjoy Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I guess I take an "Own IT" philosophy. I'm constantly looking for the kids to own as much responsibility, decision making, and natural outcomes as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Model the character / behavior you would like to see in your children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Whenever I worry about what my teens are doing, I just think back to what I was doing at that age and thank god that they aren't doing that!:lol::tongue_smilie: Otherwise, my mantra is, "This too shall pass." ETA: Don't hold them to a higher standard than you hold yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Love, Kindness, Respect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) This moment IS the one we were waiting for. Edited June 19, 2012 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "Don't strangle them. It's illegal." :smilielol5: Don't write it in your planner, then it's premeditated :D I don't have to cook and they have a great library in the local jail. I have some days where these things do run through my head, but not in a serious way. Most days my motto is more geared toward just keep swimming. That and Mommy needs a time out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 You only have so many tears to shed on this earth, do you really want to waste them on (fractions, decimals, insert your own tear-generator) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hang on! This is one wild ride :) (Liberal portions of grace...doled out as needed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I have two... one is too personal to share but has to do with reminding myself that I won't have this moment back, and someday I'll miss those messes and lack of sleep that I only have now because I have my precious children. The other is "the hard is what makes it great". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Have you watched "Finding Nemo?". just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...what do we do?? We swim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Children behave as well as they are treated. Children learn respect by example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) Lead by example. Edited June 19, 2012 by ebunny typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 No big deal, banana peel! (mantra I say to the kids) and Try harder. (mantra I say to myself) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misidawnrn Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "I will not raise my children like my mother did." That is my mantra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Not really a mantra, but a guiding principle: These kids are not our possessions but are ours for a brief time during which we teach, train, and discipline in such a way as to launch responsible and kind adult men into the world. This includes the idea that our kids are distinct from us rather than an extension of us. They will have lives of their own and will make their own decisions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "I will not raise my children like my mother did." That is my mantra. While I was reading the thread, you posted my words!!! Don't be like your mother Don't be like your mother Don't be like your mother....... Wash rinse repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Not really a mantra, but a guiding principle: These kids are not our possessions but are ours for a brief time during which we teach, train, and discipline in such a way as to launch responsible and kind adult men into the world. This includes the idea that our kids are distinct from us rather than an extension of us. They will have lives of their own and will make their own decisions... This is not new, I know...but I know I have never heard that in church! :glare: Yep, they're just apples that didn't fall far from the tree... :crying: Of course, you don't have to go to church to believe either one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 This too shall pass. Ha. That was my first thought too. It is passing, but while in the midst of the storm, it's really been rough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 While I was reading the thread, you posted my words!!! Don't be like your mother Don't be like your mother Don't be like your mother....... Wash rinse repeat. Conversely, my husband asks jokingly WHEN I will be like my Mother. My mother was amazing. She was my polar opposite in every way, even coloring (black hair and dark eyes...I'm blond with blue eyes, because by golly, she TOLD the doctors she and my dark haired/eyed father were having a blond haired, blue eyed little gir and she did!). My kids wish I were like her too. At least my son and my husband are like her, temperamentally.l Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-2-7 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Not exactly my parenting mantra but it does help me regain perspective when needed - It's just stuff. Said over and over when I hear a crash from the other room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 from the Siegfried & Roy website "We believe that there are always two choices … two paths to take. One is easy and its only reward is that it is easy." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) My short one is "remember, your job is to let go of them a little more each day." But my longer one is this: "One mustn't lose sight of the hard core, which is, do this, do that, love your friends and like your neighbors, be just, be extravagantly generous, be honest, be tolerant, have courage, have compassion, use your wits and your imagination, understand the world you live in and be on terms with it, don't dramatize and dream and escape." ~Rose Macauley, Towers of Trebizond Edited June 19, 2012 by Caitilin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "We have the technology." (From the intro to an old TV show, said when we need to solve a problem.) "Make it work." (No, it's not going to be perfect. Don't obsess. Just do it.) "Plan the Work and Work the Plan" (For me, when I'm feeling overwhelmed.) "Outside Play, Every Day" (For small children. Makes a huge difference for everyone.) "We're gonna practice like we're gonna play." (Yes, you have to show your work in math. This one borrowed from a football coach / AP US History teacher.) "A good education for all students does not mean the same education for all students." (Concept from Alfe Kohn (sp?).) "If everyone thinks alike, then no one is thinking." (It's OK to do things differently than others, and for others to do things differently from you.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 The days are long, but the years are short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberia Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "Remember, you are special and unique. Just like everyone else." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thea Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I haven't read the thread yet but mine is... Relationship Trumps Everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amydavis Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 The days are long, but the years are short. :iagree: I like this one. Dh and I don't say it exactly like that, but instead we frequently remind each other, that THESE are the good ol' days. Anytime we're feeling overwhelmed, overworked, overtired...we just remind ourselves that these days right now, as crazy as they are, are the ones we will reminisce about. I've also been known to throw out the "this too shall pass" and the "just keep swimming, swimming, swimming." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "If that's the worst thing that gets on my clothes in a day, I'm doing pretty well." Seriously, though, aside from Scripture, it's more like, "I'm floored that little ole me gets to be called 'Mama' by these amazing, wonderful little people who are just so cute that I can't stand it. My mind is just boggled, and I am overwhelmed by gratitude." As long as I keep that in mind, I can handle anything. In shorter words, "What can't be fixed with a hug and a kiss?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Mine isn't necessarily a mantra but more of an action plan I learned after 15 years of marriage to my funny-man. "When the going gets tough, take a break and laugh." That was the one thing that saved my sanity this last school year (and joking around is NOT easy for me!). :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Finding Nemo is a treasure trove of parenting mantras. This is my favourite: "You can't never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.Gregg Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "Suck it up, buttercup" it got me through Nursing school and parenting a then 2yr old and 5yr old while my husband worked 12 hour shifts. It works on the tough days. "In all things Grace" "Get it done, get it done, move on and have fun" "Focus, intention" "A finished lesson is better than a half done lesson" "A day watching nothing but Myth Busters counts as education and as long as it happens only a few times a season then we are ok" :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 pick your battles carefully. and children are humans as well treat them like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 It will be all right in the end. If it is not all right; it is not the end. -Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Amber in SJ My mom cross-stitched this for me - it's right at the top of the stairs. Good advice for all of us in the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "You'll miss this when they're gone." From my grandpa. He said it to my mom when my siblings and I were young and I've never forgotten it. So, I truly try to appreciate every moment. Even when they are fighting over whose Lego piece is whose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Excrement occurs (literally and figuratively). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 "It's the little things." "You don't have to want to" (You do have to do.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Excrement occurs (literally and figuratively). :lol::lol: Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 This too shall pass. Ditto. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.