Moms Quotes

“Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Have Space Suit—Will Travel

“Baby," she says in a harsh whisper, "in this world, lots of people will try to grind you down. They need you to be small so they can be big. You let them think whatever they want, but you make sure you get yours. You get yours.”
― Holly Black, Red Glove

“You are evidence of your mother's strength, especially if you are a rebellious knucklehead and regardless she has always maintained her sanity.”
― Criss Jami, Killosophy

“When did they stop putting toys in cereal boxes? When I was little, I remember wandering the cereal aisle (which surely is as American a phenomenon as fireworks on the Fourth of July) and picking my breakfast food based on what the reward was: a Frisbee with the Trix rabbit's face emblazoned on the front. Holographic stickers with the Lucky Charms leprechaun. A mystery decoder wheel. I could suffer through raisin bran for a month if it meant I got a magic ring at the end.

I cannot admit this out loud. In the first place, we are expected to be supermoms these days, instead of admitting that we have flaws. It is tempting to believe that all mothers wake up feeling fresh every morning, never raise their voices, only cook with organic food, and are equally at ease with the CEO and the PTA.

Here's a secret: those mothers don't exist. Most of us-even if we'd never confess-are suffering through the raisin bran in the hopes of a glimpse of that magic ring.

I look very good on paper. I have a family, and I write a newspaper column. In real life, I have to pick superglue out of the carpet, rarely remember to defrost for dinner, and plan to have BECAUSE I SAID SO engraved on my tombstone.

Real mothers wonder why experts who write for Parents and Good Housekeeping-and, dare I say it, the Burlington Free Press-seem to have their acts together all the time when they themselves can barely keep their heads above the stormy seas of parenthood.

Real mothers don't just listen with humble embarrassment to the elderly lady who offers unsolicited advice in the checkout line when a child is throwing a tantrum. We take the child, dump him in the lady's car, and say, "Great. Maybe YOU can do a better job."

Real mothers know that it's okay to eat cold pizza for breakfast.

Real mothers admit it is easier to fail at this job than to succeed.

If parenting is the box of raisin bran, then real mothers know the ratio of flakes to fun is severely imbalanced. For every moment that your child confides in you, or tells you he loves you, or does something unprompted to protect his brother that you happen to witness, there are many more moments of chaos, error, and self-doubt.

Real mothers may not speak the heresy, but they sometimes secretly wish they'd chosen something for breakfast other than this endless cereal.

Real mothers worry that other mothers will find that magic ring, whereas they'll be looking and looking for ages.

Rest easy, real mothers. The very fact that you worry about being a good mom means that you already are one.”
― Jodi Picoult, House Rules

“No, I am never setting foot in this house again it scares me and makes me sad and I wish you could be a mom whose eyes worked but I don't think you can. ”
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls

“...moms, even good ones, sometimes lose it a little so as not to lose it all.”
― Susan Squire

“Even though nobody knew that you were in my life, you were the person who brought a raft at every rapid current and helped me cross that water safely. I was happy that you were there. I came to tell you I was able to travel through my life because I could come to you when I was anxious, not when I was happy.”
― Kyung-Sook Shin, Please Look After Mom

“... there had been the two little boys. Now they were gone, too. They loved her and called her and sent her e-mails and would still snuggle up to her to be petted when they were in the mood, but they were men, and though they would always be at the center of her life, she was no longer at the center of theirs.”
― Cathleen Schine, The Three Weissmanns of Westport

“Nothing is enough that doesn't come with peace of mind. Nothing is enough that doesn't come with love.”
― Tracy Deebs, Tempest Rising

“My mom is cool and my mom will treat you right.”
― Sam Hyde

“I used to be embarrassed by my mom, but now I know what she is—she’s a hero.”
― Carrie Jones, After Obsession

“Then I looked right at Mama, for the first time in what seemed like forever, and she wasn't looking at me, but into me. She was pulling me to her with her eyes, like she used to do. All of a sudden I could see the light that was Mama's shining out of her eyes. I couldn't help smiling at it.
'Be careful,' my heart warned me.
But I was having a hard time remembering that there as anything to be careful about. Because if I just looked at Mama's eyes...I could tell that the part of her I thought had gone away forever was still there and glowing, only from deep down inside her.”
― Katherine Hannigan, Ida B. . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World

“Darla shook her head, a small smirk on her lips. “You’re such a mom,” she told Katherine.
Katherine stared at her, puzzled. “You’re a mom, too,” she said softly.
“No, I gave birth. That doesn’t make me a mom. Not like you.”
A look passed between the two women like none they had ever shared before. For a split second, Katherine felt a slight connection. “Well, you rest. I’ll check on you later.” She turned and left the room, a funny, unexplainable feeling inside her.”
― Deanna Lynn Sletten, Widow, Virgin, Whore

“Moms are the ones
Who make sure of a lot of things
Like that their kids
Wear nice clothes,
Comb their hair,
Brush their teeth.
And moms teach their kids
How to fold laundry
So their cloths aren't wrinkled,
How to make scrambled eggs
Without turning them brown,
How to make a girl feel like a girl
Without a mom to make her
feel that way?”
― Nancy J. Cavanaugh

“This is why we can't have nice things...”
― Madge Madigan, When Life Gives You Lemons... At Least You Won't Get Scurvy!

“Moms make it work work no matter what.”
― Elizabeth Tambascio

“She's such a lovely woman, he'd tell me time and time again. I'd nod, because my mom is such a lovely woman. And charming and smart. Can't argue with any of that. She's also a fucking wack job.”
― Lisa Gardner, Never Tell

“Parenting is not something you do so much as who you are. You don’t “do” mothering. You don’t “do” fathering. You are a mother. You are a father. You are in the process of shaping a life and leaving a legacy.”
― Mandi Hart, Parenting with Courage: Shaping Lives, Leaving a Legacy

“... Being a Mom is hard, but trying to remain rational while hungry is even harder.”
― Ellie Kemper (author), My Squirrel Days

“So often we say, ‘You need to sleep when your baby sleeps’ but that’s never the case. When your baby is sleeping, you’re trying to get everything else done.”
― Kellie Davis, Strong Curves: A Woman's Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body

“I wonder if all moms do this—try to make the terrifying seem mundane.”
― Samira Ahmed, Internment

“I ride with my tattoo of three red hearts, intertwined with barbed wire, emblazoned across my lower back, two birthdates delicately etched above each heart. The dates remind me of the day my life changed for the better with each child's birth. The larger heart anchors the two smaller ones, albeit with barbed wire, but anchors them securely to each other - a reminder that a mother's relationship with her daughters is sometimes thorny and sometimes smooth. Regardless of the heartache, she stands securely in between as the anchor, her daughters' her most treasured glory.”
― Debi Tolbert Duggar, Riding Soul-O

“Momentarily, I could forget the sorrow of my absent daughter by being the daughter who was present.”
― Debi Tolbert Duggar, Riding Soul-O

“With the utmost love as our motivation, we somethings think we are doing what is best for our children by protecting them from unpleasantness or cruelty. All we are really doing is shielding ourselves from owning up to misfortune or bad judgment.”
― Debi Tolbert Duggar, Riding Soul-O

“With the utmost love as our motivation, we sometimes think we are doing what is best for our children by protecting them from unpleasantness or cruelty. All we are really doing is shielding ourselves from owning up to misfortune or bad judgment.”
― Debi Tolbert Duggar, Riding Soul-O

“If we empower moms, we empower kids.”
― Christa Fletcher

“She could see that familiar look on her mom's face. It was her I'm-just-making-conversation-but-really-hoping-you'll-share-something-important look.”
― Celia C. Pérez, Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers

“Work is a blessing, I remind my kids. It means you have a full life, things to take care of, and people who need you.”
― Margie Sims, Launch: Preparing Your Kids for Takeoff

“Best mom advice I’ve ever received? ”When you think you have parenting all figured out, you probably aren’t doing as well as you think. But when you know you’re in way over your head, when you start each day with ‘Help, Lord!’ then you are most certainly doing better than you think.”
― Margie Sims, Launch: Preparing Your Kids for Takeoff

“Mothers are artists, in their way, wouldn’t you say? They’re like symphony conductors of entire lives. They’re painters or sculptors. And not only is it really hard to shape clay into something really good, but that piece of clay is changing dramatically, all the time, even if you never touch it. A painting won’t get painted if you just leave the canvas alone but a child will still develop into something even if you neglect it. Each mom and each dad has to adapt to what they’re trying to make, hoping to make, and Mom and Dad also have to let that child turn into the creation he or she wants to be. Oh, and then lots and lots of moms and dads have to do this with two or three separate creations, simultaneously. Or, in the case of you, Ora Zella, with eleven creations. How is that not way more impressive than anything a great painter does? Picasso, Shmicasso.”
― Louie Anderson, Hey Mom: Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too