Amazing Parenting Advice Shared by Experienced Moms

Today I am excited to share parenting advice shared by experienced moms. I turned to some of the moms in my blogging tribe and asked them, “What do you wish you had known about motherhood?” They were very generous with their responses. I hope you enjoy their tips as much as I did.

 

Stay Present with Your Children

Sarah at The Designer Mama has a great post reminding us to be present with our children and slow down. As moms, we are busy thinking about getting the laundry done, making meals, and all the business of running a household. It is hard to believe how quickly time flies. One day we are our child’s favorite person and we can rarely go to the bathroom alone, and the next day everything has changed. It is important to make the most of every moment.

 

My Two Cents

Sarah’s post reminds me of the Harry Chapin song, Cat’s in the Cradle. This song tells the story of a dad who is always too busy and his son who is disappointed that he can’t spend more time with his dad. In a few short lines, the son has grown up and doesn’t have time to spend with the dad. Life is more like this song than we think when our children are little. All too soon, the child is driving and going out into the world without us. Cherishing the moment is too often forgotten until the moment has passed. Try some of these fun activities to do with kids at home to make special memories with your kids.

You can read Sarah’s full post at I Need to Slow Down.

Have a Sleep Routine

Sleep is one of kids’ basic needs, even though they often try to avoid it because they do not want to miss out. Being exhausted seems to be part of being a parent. However, lack of sleep can cause bigger problems like anxiety or depression. If you are craving sleep, Sandi at Happy Science Mom will help you out in 10 Tips to Help Your Kids Get A Good Night’s Sleep to Reduce Anxiety.

Related: How Single Moms Set Up a Newborn and Parenting Routine

Cut Down on Sugar

Part of parenting is teaching our children healthy eating habits. Unfortunately, most of us eat way too much sugar. It can be a challenge to come up with healthy foods that kids will actually eat. Alina at Orgali gives us a game plan to make it possible in Best 21 Ways to Cut Down Sugar in Your Family’s Diet.

Take Quiet Time

Being a mom is exhausting and it is hard to keep an even keel. As a mother of six (almost seven), Samantha at Inspired by Lucille offers experienced mom advice. We all need time to relax and take care of ourselves. Samantha tells us how quiet time saves her sanity. I couldn’t agree more. We always had quiet time at my house when the kids were home. Even when they outgrew nap time, I still needed quiet time and it saved my sanity. You can read the full post at How Quiet Time Saves My Sanity.

Raising a Spirited Gifted Child

Darci at Life Unplanned offers tips for raising spirited, gifted children. Even though she is talking about her own spirited and gifted child, her tips are great for raising all children. She focuses on understanding life from a child’s point of view. Her comments on developing patience really resonate with me.

My Two Cents

I often joke, “I never pray for patience.” The pain is not worth the lesson for me in developing patience. Although I prefer to avoid that lesson, alas, to be a mother is to receive opportunities to learn patience. You can read the whole post at 5 Tips for Raising Your Spirited and Gifted Child.

Be Healthy, Be Happy, Be Good

Of course we want our children to be healthy and happy but Michele of Michelefried.com stresses being good in Be Healthy Be Happy Be Good. I had never thought about it before, but there is a simple truth in wanting good children who will make the world a better place. Michele introduced me to a new concept, Tikkun Olam (acts of kindness to repair the world). I love this concept and it gave me several days’ worth of food for thought.

Keep Kids Safe

This is actually a bonus piece of advice, making this post advice from 8 moms. I read it a few months after I wrote this post and it is too good to not share. Technology keeps us so connected it is easy to forget that our kids can wander off in seconds. Paula of Beauty Through Imperfection gives us 4 Safety Rules All 4 Year Olds Should Know. Paula reminds us what our kids need to know to get back to us safely, if they accidentally get separated from the adult they are with. She also has a list of great resources for body safety.

Minimize Rules

If I could share only one piece of advice it would be: your kids only need two rules. Enforce these two rules consistently and they are enough. These rules are: 1. Respect the mother and 2. Get the grades you are capable of getting. If a child is unable to handle two rules, they should refer to rule one. You can find out more about this in The Best Parenting Advice Ever and Rule #2.

This parenting advice shared by experienced moms can be helpful for new moms or other experienced moms. Remarkably, it seems like no matter how much experience we have or how much we have learned about being parents, there’s always something new to try or a new perspective to consider.

Calling all experienced moms: What would you add to this parenting advice?