9 Inspirational Quotes for Parents Who Are Exhausted

The truth about parenting is that it isn’t all happy moments and smiling faces. Between feeding, bathing, playing and all the running around in between, being a parent is a full-time job — an exhausting, never-ending and incredibly fulfilling job.

The best part is that every parent can relate to challenging moments, and knowing you aren’t alone can be half the battle. When the going gets tough, remember these nine inspirational parenting quotes for hard times:

1. “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.” —Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh
2. “Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did — that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that — a parent’s heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.” —Debra Ginsberg
3. “One thing I had learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun.” —Jane Goodall
4. “Motherhood is about raising and celebrating the child you have, not the child you thought you would have. It’s about understanding that he is exactly the person he is supposed to be. And, if you’re lucky, he just might be the teacher who turns you into the person you’re supposed to be.” —Joan Ryan in “The Water Giver”
5. “There is no such thing as a perfect parent so just be a real one.” —Sue Atkins
6. “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” —Rumi
7. “When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not join their chaos.” —L.R. Knost
8. “Try walking around with a child who’s going, ‘Wow, wow! Look at that dirty dog! Look at that burned-down house! Look at that red sky!’ And the child points, and you look, and you see, and you start going, ‘Wow! Look at that huge crazy hedge! Look at that teeny little baby! Look at the scary dark cloud!’ I think this is how we are supposed to be in the world — present and in awe.” —Anne Lamott
9. “My most important parenting job is to teach my children how to deal with being human. There is really only one way to deal gracefully with being human, and that is: forgive yourself.” —Glennon Doyle