Quotes About Parenting

My grandmother and my mother raised me, but my dad made a conscious effort to be in my life - every weekend he would take me out.

I don't like to be gone all weekend and at night too. Because for 20 years, I've had children who are in school.

I know what it's like to have a young child at the weekend and feel like there is nothing to see in the movie theatre. Family is so important.

It's a funny thing - when I'm crazed with work, spending time with my children relaxes me. Yet, at the end of a long weekend with them, the very thing I need to relax is a little work and time away from them!

We're homebodies. I've gotten to see my kids' first steps, first smiles, first words. Every day is a weekend.

The primary part of the weekend is centered around my children, and I have to be flexible. To call an audible is to be liquid enough to understand that at any given time you have to be a chauffeur or a chaperone, especially for my 12-year-old and whatever her plans are.

My kids know there's no candy, no soda, until the weekend. Those are the days they get to indulge in their sweets. We're big on organic food. I'm not a diet guy; I don't believe in diets. I just believe in a great meal plan.

Literally, over a weekend, Friday to Monday, I went from a C.I.A. officer to changing diapers and putting the kid in a Bjorn and going to the playground and hanging out with all the nannies. I was the only dad - everyone kind of gave me strange looks because of our sexist society.

I have to explain to my daughter what it means when adults lie. I have to explain to my daughter what it means when adults are bullies. I have to explain to my daughter what it means when an adult says something that's not true just to try to score political points.

My problem with my parents growing up was not that I was afraid to cry in front of them - they always wanted me to cry because they wanted me to be okay, but it felt kind of icky and gross to cry in front of my parents. So my problem was the polar opposite - I didn't want to cry in front of them because I didn't want to give them the satisfaction.

I wouldn't want to have the thought police going to people's homes, dictating what they teach their children. I don't want to be Big Brotherish. I would hate that.

I clearly remember my father cutting our jumpers and our sports clothes with scissors - because he didn't want us to wear jogging bottoms and hoodies. He thought that would somehow set the police on us.

I want my kids to be polite and respectful, stand on their own two feet.

It is something that most parents hope for in life: That their children will be moderately successful, polite, decent human beings. Anything on top of that is something you have no right to hope for, but we all do.

I'm big on my kids being conventionally polite, and it works really well for them.

My political mission is as acute as ever. For me, in addition to kind of looking at the world and trying to engage in my society politically, having the kid around sort of makes me check in with myself. I think you're all busy trying to fix the world, but what about yourself?

Being a parent of a boy who wants to wear sparkles and grow his hair long - especially when you don't know where it's all going to go - it's hard stuff. I'm not being politically incorrect in acknowledging that, am I?

In the Seventies, my children played in the street, read politically incorrect stories, ate home-cooked food and occasional junk and, yes, were sometimes smacked.

I'd never felt afraid of pollution before and never wore a mask no matter where. But when you carry a life in you, what she breathes, eats and drinks are all your responsibility; then you feel the fear.

I have to go... drop some kids in the pool.

My father was very bright. My mother had enormous drive. Put that together, and that's my gene pool.

When I've been working especially long hours, I make a point to spend an extra hour or two without my phone, doing something my children choose. They love the park or pool time, but mostly, they love my undivided attention.

My children - in many dimensions they're as poorly behaved as many other children, but at least on this dimension I've got my kids brainwashed: You don't use Google, and you don't use an iPod.

It's not beyond me to take my kids to see a good popcorn movie that's a roller coaster ride.