💬 Parenting Out Loud: The Sayings That Have Cemented Our Parenting Legacy
What one-liners do your kids hear on repeat?
My girls have grown up hearing me say certain things—hundreds of times, at least. Now that they’re older, I catch them repeating them back to me and each other. Some are life lessons. Some are inside jokes. A few are new mantras we’re learning in real-time. These one-liners have become part of our family DNA.
What one-liners, sayings, or mantras do you repeat to your kids?
💬 Share your favorites in the comments. Whether they’re funny, serious, or deeply personal, I’d love to hear the lessons, jokes, or words of wisdom that have stuck in your home.
📌 I’ll drop my favorites in a pinned comment to get things started—feel free to borrow (or lovingly roast) them!
Here’s a sneak peek: 'No lost puppies.' It’s not really about dogs—though it applies there too. Curious? (Check out the rest in the comments below.)
These are the one-liners my girls hear on repeat:
‘You’re not responsible for anyone else’s unhealthy emotional needs.’
I started saying this during my divorce. I wanted my girls to know they weren’t responsible for emotionally supporting either parent. I had my people to lean on, and their dad had his own. This was about protecting their emotional boundaries—and letting them be kids.
‘No lost puppies.’
This one’s about dating, not pets (though it applies to pets, too). We don’t date projects or potential. We date well-rounded, compassionate, life-giving humans who already have their act together.
‘We don’t celebrate losers.’
A joke borrowed from a friend who organizes our annual March Madness pool. While we don’t actually believe this, it’s become our family’s go-to quip on the pickleball court, at the ping-pong table, and, occasionally, at the dinner table. We’re a slightly competitive family.
‘You never leave a girlfriend in the bathroom.’
This one started when they were little. Whenever we were out with other families, the kids would go to the restroom in packs, but there was always a straggler who emerged a few minutes later. I drilled it into my girls early—no one gets left behind. To this day, they’re fiercely loyal to this rule and use it as a yardstick to measure the thoughtfulness of their own friends.
When family discussions became tense, our dear, grandma referee would softly ask, "Anyone want to play Yahtzee?" Smiles all around the table!