The nuggets of joy that come with kids

. . . Motherhood - if it was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor

. . . Shouting to make your children obey is like using the horn to steer your car, and you get about the same results.

. . . To be in your children's memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.

. . . The smartest advice on raising children is to enjoy them while they are still on your side.

. . . The best way to keep kids at home is to make the home a pleasant atmosphere and to let the air out of the tires.

. . . The right temperature in a home is maintained by warms hearts, not hot heads.

. . . Raising a teenager is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.

. . . Life's golden age is when the kids are too old to need baby-sitters and too young to borrow the family car

. . . Any child can tell you that the sole purpose of a middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.

. . . A child outgrows your lap, but never outgrows your heart.

. . . God gave you two ears and one mouth... so you should listen twice as much as you talk.

. . . Adolescence is the age when children try to bring up their parents.

. . . You know the only people in this world who are always sure about the proper way to raise children? Those who've never had any.

. . . Cleaning your house while your kids are at home is like trying to shovel the driveway during a snowstorm.

. . . Oh to be only half as wonderful as mu child thought I was when he was small, and only half as stupid as my teenager now thinks I am.

. . . No wonder kids are confused today. Half the adults tell them to find themselves; the other half tell them to get lost.

. . . Kids really brighten a household; they never turn off any lights.