Far From an Exhaustive List…

24 Simple Truths.

1. Fifteen minutes of reading on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday is better than one hour’s worth on Friday.

2. Positive discipline is a learning opportunity; punishment, on the other hand, is merely retribution.

3. Words can and do hurt more than bump and bruises.

4. Spanking is never an option.

5. The worrying never stops.

6. Learning takes time, patience.

7. Laughter heals all.

8. Everyone forgets what it is like to have small children.

9. Those without children have no idea what it means to have children.

10. It, and everything that “it” pertains to, seemingly never stops.

11. We love our kids. And we’ll do anything to help them become the adults they deserve to be.

12. There’s no turning back the clock; you will reap what you sow.

13. Before you know it, they’re already doing that!

14. Consistency is more important than exuberance; routines make the world work.

15. Learned behavior is not innate.

16. Not all boo boo’s can be avoided, but many avoidable accidents can.

17. If parenting were easy, the world would be a much different place.

18. If you don’t show them and then ask them to do it, they won’t– and that’s your fault.

19. Yelling accomplishes nothing– even if makes you feel better in the short run.

20. Potty training sucks!

21. If you’re downstairs changing the laundry from the washer into the dryer and you hear a loud bump, followed by silence and crying, that’s never a good sign that things are well upstairs.

22. When you ask your eldest, “What did you do?” don’t forget to praise her for her honesty somewhere in-between reminding her “I don’t want you to hit your brother, again” and “time out is over. You can play now.”

23. Time is our family’s most valuable commodity.

24. Creativity is messy; the more creative one is the more of a mess they make.