15 Great Reader Comments on Parenting

We’ve had so many wonderful parenting comments lately that we had to share a few with you. Here are 15 funny, wise insights…

On feeding a baby:

“It was exhausting to try to breastfeed my twins. One twin was great, the other not so much, and I was getting an hour of sleep between feeding and pumping. I decided a happy mommy was better for my twins, so after three months we switched to formula. They are now healthy nine-year-olds. Whatever works for you is best.” — DD

On parenting nostalgia:

“My friend said to me, ‘You’ve loved every stage that your kids have been in. You are sure to love all the stages coming up.’ It has been so true and helpful to remember. Newborns are so sweet and toddlers are so fun but so are school-age kids and honestly teenagers are the best. When they leave home they make you so proud and come back for these great visits. I’m looking forward to what’s next!” – Heather

“I once heard a stranger’s ringtone: happy baby belly laughs, and it brought joy to my heart.” — Ann

On tried-and-true advice:

“When my kids were little and we were traveling, I’d always have them pick out some postcards along the way. Then when we were at a restaurant waiting for our meal, it was a great time for them to jot a quick note to grandparents or family back home or even a note to themselves!” — Shelley

“I have two kids — an eight-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl who is on the autism spectrum. Some kids, but especially autistic children, feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations, so try to talk to them as much as possible about what is coming. For instance, ‘We’re going to a restaurant, your cousins will be there, the restaurant looks like this, they have this food you like, when we wait for our food you can color or play with some toys quietly, etc. etc.’ My daughter loves predictability and hates surprises, so if something is going to be a surprise, I try to make it fun for her. Like guessing with her how her food is going to be served, ‘Do you think the French fries will be skinny or fat? Will the tomatoes be on the top or on the side?’” — Kiana

“I hated mornings, and when I was a teenager my mom started doing a new thing where she’d throw open the door to my room and jubilantly yell, ‘Get the fuck out of bed!’ Her joyous cursing was absolutely hilarious to us both and started the day on a ridiculous note that really took the edge off.” — Rebecca

“My best parenting tip is to make a habit of narrating how you feel. Kids are not afraid of emotions and they’re not blind to them. If you tell them that you’re frustrated or sad or happy and why, you’ll give them language to talk about what they’re feeling and a sense of how emotions ebb and flow and change over time. I don’t mean a watered down version (like, ‘Don’t worry, Mama’s just tired’). Fall apart a little. Be human. Tell them the truth about what you feel, because they can already see it. Giving them rich, deep language for it shows them that they can experience, tolerate and navigate complex emotions and be open with you about how they’re feeling.” — Olivia

On sweet sayings:

“I was babysitting a kid, and she spaced out majorly one day. I asked her what was up and she said, ‘The store of my head is almost closed,’ WHICH IS SUCH A RELATABLE FEELING.”
– Elina

“When our son was three, we were in a train driving past our old apartment and we told him ‘This is where we used to live before you were born.’ And he said, ‘Yes, that is before I came and found you two rascals.’”
— Anne

“The other night, when I was tucking in my five-year-old for the night, he snuggled up to me and said, “I think, at the mama shop, I got the best mama!” And a few months ago: ‘Just, how do you make a pear? I mean, is it just an apple that you squish with your hands?’” — Isabella

“I have twin nine-month-old girls who started sitting up on their own about a month ago. Even though it’s not quite as exciting as it was the first time it happened, every time one of the babies is sitting up my four-year-old daughter SCREAMS with excitement: ‘MOMMY, THE BABIES ARE SITTING UP!!! LOOOOOOOK!!! GOOD JOB, ANNIE!!! GOOD JOB, BRIDGIE!!! YOU DID IT!!!!!!’ And we can’t help but laugh because this happens at least 25 times a day now, and she’s been doing full on cheerleader status with clapping and jumping up and down for her sisters, for the last month! I mean who doesn’t love being cheered on?!” — Bren

On dreams of adulthood:

“Mine definitely included signing credit card receipts; it seemed so glamorous and adult. Tapping a card to pay is convenient, but my inner 10-year-old was kind of sad when you no longer had to sign for things!” — S.

“I always thought that being a grown-up meant talking with your hands while holding a glass of wine at the dinner table. I also definitely wanted to drive a minivan and use the parking brake.” — Kelly

“Mine were all based on teachers I had. I wanted lipstick rings on my coffee mugs, clicky clacky heels, and thick thick fingernails. I’m a teacher now, and my students comment on my earrings, my boot collection, and my book stacks all around the room.” — Ann

“I’ve been rather disappointed that adulthood has involved so few opportunities to dramatically pull off my clip-on earrings before answering the phone.” — Karin

P.S. 16 surprising parenting tips and more great reader comments on parenting.

(Photo by Sweenshots & Shaymone/Stocksy.)