Sometimes I’m tempted to turn all the comments you wise, wonderful and deeply funny women leave into a book.
Seriously, you people are smart. And you write hugs that deserve to be passed on.
So, today I give you my 50 favorite pieces of parenting advice for new {and seasoned} moms – as shared in the comments of this blog.
Read, laugh, be blessed and pass it on to anyone who needs a girlfriend to sit with her, laugh with her, cry with her and pass her another slice of chocolate cake.
Advice for new moms – from those who’ve been there and survived that!
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Remember that days will often seem slow, but years fly by. Angela Mackey
- The best thing you can do is love your children, love their daddy and love yourself. Lisa
- It does get easier…sleep does come and you do eventually emerge from the fog and begin to feel normal again. Judy
- Date Night: Take some time for a little romance. Despite the exhaustion, postpartum-pimples, and stretched-out Mommy-belly, you are still a beautiful woman! And you need to remind yourself of that. Teri @ StumblingAroundInTheLight
- Whenever I forget to ask for help, my little brood and I all suffer. ibebetter
- The neat thing about being a mother – is that someday you get to be a grandmother and great-grandmother as I am now and loving every minute of it. And you get the reward of seeing your own kids become wonderful, loving parents because they were taught by the best–you. You can do this! Jo Ann Taylor
- It’s OK to cry, actually it’s good, it’s scientifically proven to make you feel better. Jenn
- I finally learned to ask the Lord for enough sleep to get through the next day–nothing more, nothing less. Judith
- Just breathe, and be…stop trying to do everything so prettily. Renee
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If I went back 30 years I would have more of the snowball fights …we had in the house. Chris King
- My dad calls this time The Glory Days and I know he knows more about kids growing up than I do so I’m constantly trying to slow these wonderfully imperfect Glory Days down. the nester
- Wherever your baby sleeps is fine. As long as you are both sleeping, it doesn’t matter if they’re in your bed, in your arms or on the couch. Mel
- It gets better. All of it. It just gets better, so hang in there. The 2am (and 4am and 6am) feedings will pass, you will sleep again, and you will miss those quiet moments in the dark with the baby God has so graciously given you. Dara Shultz
- We fight so hard to not compare ourselves to others, and sometimes, what we are comparing ourselves to, is not a true picture of what is really happening. Lynnet
- Be as kind to yourself as you would be to others that were feeling overwhelmed. Nicole
- Grace: accept it from God and others. Give it to your kids, your husband, and everyone else. Casey
- Laugh: when you think your house can’t look any worse and your kids cannot be any less responsive or obedient. Find anything small about which you can laugh every day. Laugh with your kids and laugh at yourself. Casey
- Having fun is more important than following the imaginary rules. Natalie
- Stressing the small stuff is never worth losing your calm. Katherine
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Ponytails are technically a “hair-do.”
Natalie
- Celebrate the small victories. Have they been fed? Put to bed? Are they clothed at all? {Dirty, clean, matching…it doesn’t matter.} Are they chattering, smiling, maybe even singing? If the answer is yes to any of these, you’ve done something right. Scooper
- When I have had one of “those” days hubby has said “At least the kids are alive and supper is made.” Country Girl in the City
- I believe that we compare our worst traits to others best traits and that is no way to treat ourselves. micaela
- I tell myself, “Someday, I’m going to miss this.” And I mean it. No matter how hard it is. Someday, I AM going to miss this. Alyssa
- Failures teach you about Grace. Understanding Grace is foundational to your entire life. Natalie
- Say yes to your children as often as possible. Janna
- While pancakes for supper may be an easy out for me, they look forward to the switch. Sabrina
- As hard as it is to get your head around … don’t ever, ever forget: your kids (and God Himself) think you’re beautiful. Natalie
- I would say not to fret over letting them watch *another* movie, especially on those hard days. Kristen@Chasing Blue Skies
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Cry whenever and wherever you need to. No shame. Liquid Prayers. Natalie
- This is thee most important job you will ever have…please enjoy it..enjoy them and know that God has made you a mom and will always be there to listen. Vonnie
- It’s okay to ask for help. Emily
- Choosing kisses and book reading while the laundry is around us waiting to be put away was way better. Rachel Bowen
- Your worst critic is yourself. No one is judging you as much as you judge yourself. Natalie
- Messy house, messy kids makes for messy but delightfully happy family. Estelle Emond
- They won’t care what the house looked like or what kinds of meals they ate. They will remember how they were loved. Cheri
- Keep on encouraging each other – it makes all the difference in the world to really know that you’re not alone. Diana Trautwein
- Anyone giving advice about surviving the toddler years, and making them sound neat and pretty, is no longer in them. (Or has a personal assistant.) Seriously. Amara
- My children will not be scarred because I am not doing it all. Miriam
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There is no Fairy Godmother handing out gold stars to the Super-Mom-Of-The-Week. Stop trying to earn them. Natalie
- You won’t be sorry about the drive-through in a few years, but I promise you’ll wish you would have taken your salty, french-fry lips and kissed the baby fat on his neck. Amara
- Give yourself grace. God does, and your kids do, too. Cheri
- It’s so much easier to just store all the children’s shoes in the van anyway. We can always find a matching pair that way!! Brenda Brough
- You are not a bad person if your attempt at scrap booking remains nothing more than a pile of photos, paper and stickers collecting in a plastic bin. Natalie
- I would go back and tell myself that my in-laws prefer happy, smiling children to those that have been worn weary by cleaning at mother’s ‘command’ in a clean home. Jenna
- Choose your battles wisely. Kim in VA
- Including in a routine the things that are important to me (like showers). Alexandra
- I would say who cares if they haven’t combed their hair in days. Most other people just aren’t gonna notice! Kristen@Chasing Blue Skies
- When you fail to do any or all of the above in a day, give yourself the okay to start again tomorrow. Casey
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The Internet isn’t going to go anywhere, but my children don’t stop growing. Stephanie
I absolutely needed this today!
Thankyou no. 12 – I get so much judgement because I can’t get my 4 month old to sleep in his cot during the day!!!
If I could do it all over again I’d co-sleep from day one. I missed out on that in my determination to have the Bunny in her own bed, and wish I could re-do the sleeps with the Bunny right next to me. I sneak them in on a Sunday now – we both go for a nap in mommy’s bed while Daddy watches sport.
I agree I co-sleep with my daughter and I am thankful for it. My son just moved to his own bed and mommy and daddy still have our time ;)
this was a great read this morning as reality is setting in…I’m gonna be a new momma next month!!! thanks for all the tips ladies! I have so much to learn!!
I agree…just got the link to this page from an old girlfriend and I totally needed this! Today is the due date and im still not having any contractions. Gonna have a C-section on Wednesday and I was soooo upset that things didnt go according to plan. It helps to remember that God is in control and nothing is going to matter once our baby boy is in my arms and we can cherish the moments as they pass. I am on my knees in humility and adoration of our great Creator. Forgive me Lord for not trusting You first!
That is so true! Thank you for the blessing. Sometimes we forget that God put us here and we’re exactly, at this moment, where He wants us to be. He is intent on finishing the work He started in us… therefore He plans to make us the best that we can be for the job He’s given us. His work… not ours. We get to live the love He’s given us, while He does the work in us. How cool is that? Seriously? You just don’t get better!
Lisa-Jo thank you so much for passing on all of these wise words. After reading them all I get the picture that GRACE is the main thing! I need to give myself GRACE each day, for each moment. I don’t have to be PERFECT. I’m about to launch into motherhood in seven short weeks when my first baby arrives. I’ll be printing this list and putting it on my fridge to refer to frequently. Bless you! xo
What a great idea, Stephanie. I think I will also print this and stick it on my fridge! I am a first time mom to my 3 month old daughter and wow it is so easy to get suckered into the perfection trap so early. I LOVE this list. . . so encouraging and FREEING. Thanks for posting.
Yes! I’m getting the same thing… Grace, and Freedom! Reading this feels like lifting a huge weight off my shoulders. :)
With tears streaming down my face, I thank you. Thank you.
Lisa Jo – I am a mom and Gran Jan – oh how I love these tender truths so much. I just forwarded the link to my two daughters-in-law (one of whom is great with child). I also passed it along to several pastor’s wives I know that are in “the zone.”
I am a mom of two grown sons and Gran Jan to three grandchildren under 3 with another on the way next month. I sure wish I had had this encouragement when I was there – so thankful for your blog ministry. :)
I can testify to #36 and am clapping in my heart over the truth. My boys never comment on remembering a clean house or fresh sheets – but they remember that I was at their ball games and that we had cheese nachos on Sunday nights and that I let them play on the dirt hills near our house…
Thank you, thank you, for compiling this wisdom. It’s given me reason to breathe easier this morning, tired out from an upallnight. The root of it is grace, for them, for us, isn’t it?
Oh, I so wish I would have known these as a new mama. Now five kids later, I know these things intimately. And I’m a much happier and better person/mama/wife.
Hey, Beautiful – thanks for the shout out. You’re the best there is, you know that? And what you do here? A godsend for so, SO many moms out there. I’ll say it again, keep encouraging one another on this journey. It helps so much to know you’re not alone – even on those days when you feel completely abandoned by anyone with a vocabulary beyond age six. :>) Love to you.
Thanks for the encouragement! I’m a new mama of the most precious little 2 month old boy in the world. I’ve been feeling like I should have it all together by now. I needed to be reminded that I’m not perfect, and I don’t need to be. God, my husband, and my little one love me just the way I am!
These are very good…we named our fifth child Grace because I knew I would need tonnes of it!!!! ;)
We must be kindred spirits, because the post I just published reminds me of this one! Love it all — and love the community of support that’s been created through this list!
i love how you love on your readers, friend.