What's the best advice you have gotten thus far?

[McGucks]

Mods, move to Personal Growth if needed, but I thought new-ish parents might be a good audience for this.  SO...we have all gotten unasked for advice from everyone from strangers to family.  Within all of it, have you gotten any GOOD advice that you have put into practice? 

[Bena]

oooh...i love the positive twist on this thread!!  (I`m getting a little tired of the "bad advice" complaining, but that`s just my 2 cents!)

Anyway, I think the best advice I got about parenting (but honestly, it`s about life, really!!!)  was to learn to ride the waves; bad times don't last, but good ones neither, so learn to recognize and truly appreciate them.   

[pranava]

A woman in her 60's with three grown kids told me that she wished she had let her house get dirtier and taken her kids to the park more often.

[wildmonkeys]

My mil who had 5 kids and let her house get plenty dirty ;0 recomended having all the kids wear matching swim suits for the ocean....

[tillymonster]

Originally Posted by pranava 

A woman in her 60's with three grown kids told me that she wished she had let her house get dirtier and taken her kids to the park more often.

Soooo true this one. I decided day one that cleaning just didn't matter that much in comparison. I take my LO to the park almost daily.

FIL had us get DD in the highchair by using her favorite toy. We just stupidly assumed the food we were served was the real excitement. Toddlers don't care that much about food! Well, not the ones I've met!

[cyclamen]

Shortly after my daughter was born, I got some really nice advice from my uncle: "Of course what they need most is love.  But you should also hold the baby before she cries.  Feed her before she cries.  Change her before she cries.  Then she will know she can trust you, and she won't need to cry.  And just love her.  That's the most important thing."  So I began with the belief that it was possible to know what she needed without waiting for a cry.  I think that was really helpful for both of us.

DP's mom came to visit when DD was a few days old.  She told me, "Sometimes babies cry," and made a sort of half shrug.  I don't think it was even meant as advice, just an observation.  But sometimes, when DD was crying and wouldn't stop, I would remember this, and just hold her and think, "Sometimes they cry."  And that helped me to just let her be.

Between the two of them, they had the newborn stage pretty much covered, lol.

Oh and, I don't know who told me this, but that old shoe about "Never wake a sleeping baby" - we still follow that one, lol.

I haven't heard much about the later years, though I would like to!

[McGucks]

Cyclamen:  I have a much older child (almost 16) in addition to my toddler.  And advice about handling the older years?  The same advice that I got about babies holds true for raising teens--find other moms with whom you can talk.  And complain to.  And commiserate with.  And keep up pictures of your teen of when they were small.  It helps

[Blessed_Mom]

The best advice I read (not heard) about handling tantrummy toddlers? "Distract, distract, distract".

Sometimes the battle of wills isn't worth it. Distraction works much better. I even get my very very picky eater to eat by constantly distracting her. Right now she is 2 and I think it is OK. A bit later I hope she can enjoy eating for eatings' sake.

[cyclamen]

Ooh, I was thinking of this thread today.  A older woman in the grocery store chucklingly told me, "There are no battles to win."  Which really struck me as just... beautiful.  Not, "Pick your battles," but, "It isn't a war."

[whozeyermamma]

I love this! I'm going to print these out so I remember them! I've heard variations on some of the above - I also like the idea that "my kids won't remember how clean the house is but they will remember going to the park." A variation on the theme!

1. Baby the baby when he's a baby and you won't have to baby him when he's grown. I love this one

2. This too shall pass.

... and the only advice that I really really REALLY wish I had followed:

3. This is what's for dinner. Eat it or not.

I've wound up as a short order cook for my VERY picky 7 year old  and she's stopped trying new foods and will only eat a few things. (Some are pretty healthy, so I can't complain too much - black beans and corn, tofu and rice, etc - but she wont' eat, say, baked ziti. She'll only eat one particular brand of soy sauce. ) I'm going to bring down the hammer soon and stick to this policy (within reason, of course,) ...

[Honey693]

They're only little once.  Not really advice, but I remember that every time I'm annoyed by nursing the baby back to sleep for the 4th time in 2 hours or when my toddler only wants mama.