Marilu Henner Quotes

When I was a kid, my mother's parenting style teetered between benign neglect and intense bouts of violence.

Words, especially when yelled in anger, can be very damaging to a child's self-confidence. The child probably already feels bad enough just from seeing the consequences of his or her behavior. Our sons and daughters don't need more guilt and self-doubt heaped upon their already wounded egos.

If my father had hugged me even once, I'd be an accountant right now.

Nobody can tell me from some ivory tower that you take a kid, kick him in the rear end, and it doesn’t do him any good.

I take parenting incredibly seriously. I want to be there for my kids and help them navigate the world, and develop skills, emotional intelligence, to enjoy life, and I'm lucky to be able to do that and have two healthy, normal boys.

Many people think that discipline is the essence of parenting. But that isn't parenting. Parenting is not telling your child what to do when he or she misbehaves. Parenting is providing the conditions in which a child can realize his or her full human potential.

I have worked with a lot of kids. Most of them have been really lovely. But there are a lot of trappings.

An unhappy mother does not raise a happy child.

Screaming at children over their grades, especially to the point of the child's tears, is child abuse, pure and simple. It's not funny and it's not good parenting. It is a crushing, scarring, disastrous experience for the child. It isn't the least bit funny.

It is impossible to treat a child too well. Children are spoiled by being ignored too much or by harshness, not by kindness.

Growing up, there wasn't much emphasis on being nice or naughty. As a family, there wasn't much discipline. It was more relaxed at home, which I'm grateful for.

I pretended I was living with a television family and there was no yelling at home and no one hit me.

I think the biggest difference is that I've noticed Western parents seem much more concerned about their children's psyches, their self-esteem, whereas tough immigrant parents assume strength rather than fragility in their children and therefore behave completely differently.

When a child does bad things, the parents are always going to love their child even if they do something bad.

Every father loves their children. I love my two sons very dearly. The only thing that is important to me is that they do what they want to do. They shouldn't feel a sense of obligation.

I think there was a time when I was too strict and controlling. I think I asphyxiated my children.

When I was a kid, I thought my dad was a little bit harsh with me at times. Sometimes I needed an arm around me instead of my dad telling me what I did wrong, but it obviously worked.

My boyfriend calls me 'princess', but I think of myself more along the lines of 'monkey' and 'retard'.

I don't claim to know everything about parenting, but I do know parents do their children a disservice by constantly sugarcoating their shortcomings to protect their feelings.

Dad was the pitching coach, while Mom was the emotional supporter. Her unconditional love was great, and she wanted what was best for me.

It is never acceptable for us to be the cause of any child to feel unloved or worthless.

The bullied straight kid goes home to a shoulder to cry on and support and can talk freely about his experience at school and why he's being bullied. I couldn't go home and open up to my parents.

A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child.

We ought to regard the breaking of a child's spirit as a sin against humanity.

It's so sad, actually, how teachers and parents tell their kids, 'You're never gonna be anything.'