Lorraine Toussaint Quotes

Being made to feel like an irrelevant child was probably an asset. Benign negligence is not a bad parental attitude or at least a cross between a benevolent dictator and benign negligence - you should just let kids crack on with it.

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

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

An unhappy mother does not raise a happy child.

My happiest memory of childhood was my first birthday in reform school. This teacher took an interest in me. In fact, he gave me the first birthday presents I ever got: a box of Cracker Jacks and a can of ABC shoe polish.

I never felt like I had a mother.

I don't live my life through my kids, nor do I expect them to live theirs through mine. But of course, they're everything.

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

I lost my father when I was 13 years old. He was a great man, my father, and very intelligent. I love him very much. I believe it's very important that parents have a personal connection with their children. It helps kids feel more secure, have a feeling of family, makes them feel loved.

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.

As a child I was given the freedom to explore my passion for acting, but I also grew up in a home where there were a lot of rules. I didn't have 'yes' parents.

What matters is that my daughter is surrounded by love. I believe in the right to go down the path that feels best for you.

I maybe missed money in my childhood, but I didn't miss love, that's for sure. My dad wasn't there, but I can tell you not even once did I think I was missing something.

But I still always felt the absence of a mother.

My parents were always pretty free with me. They were of the school of thought that if you really cramp down on someone and tell them not to do all these things, it's gonna become like forbidden fruit.

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.

A wise parent humors the desire for independent action, so as to become the friend and advisor when his absolute rule shall cease.

I really look at children as being little people and not necessarily things or people to control.

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.

I don't smack him around. I don't yell at him. And if he wants to go to the park in his pajamas, I don't care.

You don't know your child until they get here; you don't know their personality.

I came from a broken home, so my mom was a major influence in my life.

My mother insisted that I have a normal upbringing.

When a child is bruised physically or emotionally, parents often reward him with a treat.

I really believe strongly that kids should be spared the runoff of their parents' lives and problems.