Words of Wisdom for Raising Children

Never raise your hand to your children; it leaves your midsection open. ~Robert Orben

Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home. ~Phyllis Diller

The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant--and let the air out of the tires. ~Dorothy Parker

You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers. ~John J. Plomp

Level with your child by being honest. Nobody spots a phony quicker than a child. ~Mary MacCraken

Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying. ~Fran Lebowitz

Chinese Proverbs

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

"Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself."

"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials."

"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still."

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."

"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."

"To know the road ahead, ask those coming back."

"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket."

"The palest ink is better than the best memory."

"A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark."

"When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other."

"Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet."

"When you drink the water, remember the spring."

"If heaven made him, earth can find some use for him."

The Little Things

As you might know, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One's car wouldn't start.

One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone... all the little things that annoy me, I think to myself, "This is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment."

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated. It may be just that God is at work watching over you.

(from T. L.)

An Ode to Books

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." ~Cicero

"Properly, we should read for power. Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one's hand." ~Ezra Pound

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers." ~Charles W. Eliot

"Woe be to him that reads but one book." ~George Herbert

"Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter." ~Paxton Hood