Al Roker Quotes

Never negotiate with kids. They don't have life experience, and they don't have repercussions for bad decisions; they still get fed and housed.

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.

The fundamental job of a toddler is to rule the universe.

You can instill fear in your kids and get them to mind, but they won't function better in the world and your relationship will suffer greatly.

It's a hard call, but I've no desire to live my children's lives. I think my job as a father is to protect them, to allow them a safe place to grow up and to teach them what I've learned.

Even the most high-maintenance boss isn't going to sit and watch you the whole time, making sure you're paying attention to them, whereas with a child, it's like, 'Wait, what? You're not watching me right now? Really? Then I'm going to go spill this milk.' Even bosses from hell don't behave like that!

When kids are really little, they destroy everything.

My parents have always had this philosophy that overindulging your children is one of the worst things you could do as a parent. It's something that was hammered into my head growing up. And while my mom and dad are not professional authorities on parenting, I can confirm from experience that they had a point.

Scrambling, when no one's around, getting down, getting out of bounds, taking a glancing blow, those are all fine. You can do that all day long.

...the more risks you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves. If you never let them take any risks, then I believe they become very prone to injury. Boys should be allowed to climb tall trees and walk along the tops of high walls and dive into the sea from high rocks... The same with girls. I like the type of child who takes risks. Better by far than the one who never does so.

We fail our children if we say, 'Don't do as I do, but do as I say'.

Children can find other children to be pals. Children need fathers to be fathers.

And Grandmother Hall really imagines that she can raise Eleanor and her two brothers differently than these children were raised. And if she is very strict and everything is very regimented and ordered and disciplined, that they will become the perfect children who her own children did not become.

A parent who has never apologized to his children is a monster. If he's always apologizing, his children are monsters.

We have a society that's trying to make sure that nobody gets any adventures because adventures are dangerous and danger is bad.

Don't be a pal to your son. Be his father. What child needs a 40-year-old for a friend?

We're just one cog in this giant machine. You show up and look at all the other cogs like, "Wow, everyone is the best at what they do." You're in really good hands. And that frees you up to play and feel safe, and you can take chances, creatively. You can take risks. I want to show up to work and take risks. I don't ever want to play it safe.

When we look at our children, I think a lot of the troubles we're having as a society is because we don't have strong fathers in these families that can tell their kids that they can do more.

The best gift from a father to his child is Education and Upbringing.

Fathers have a unique and irreplaceable role in the lives of children.

I reckon that’s the risk you run, letting somebody else raise you chilluns.

We have a whole generation of men who don't understand how much they mean to their kids.

As when my little son John offendeth: if then I should not whip him, but call him to the table unto me, and give him sugar and plums, thereby, I should make him worse, yea should quite spoil him.

There is but one way to eliminate juvenile delinquency - that is by providing each child in America with competent parents.

Children are all more or less little monkeys in that they imitate everything they see. If their mother treats them exactly as she does her visitors they in turn play "visitor" to perfection. Nothing hurts the feelings of children more than not being allowed to behave like grown persons when they think they are able.