Haim Ginott Quotes

I Have Great Faith In 'ordinary Parents.' Who Has A Child's Welfare More At Heart Than His Ordinary Parent? It's Been My Experience That When Parents Are Given The Skills To Be More Helpful, Not Only Are They Able To Use These Skills, But They Infuse Them With A Warmth And A Style That Is Uniquely Their Own.

Many Teenagers Are Tormented By Terrors They Deem Private And Personal. They Do Not Know That Their Anxieties And Doubts Are Universal.

To Sense When A Teenager Needs Understanding And When Misunderstanding Is A Difficult And Delicate Task. The Sad Truth Is That No Matter How Wise We Are, We Cannot Be Right For Any Length Of Time In Our Teenagers' Eyes.

Each Of Us Carries Within Himself A Collection Of Instant Insults.

Wise Parents Know That Fighting A Teenager, Like Fighting A Riptide, Is Inviting Doom.

Whenever I Hear About A Child Needing Something, I Ask Myself, 'is It What He Needs Or What He Wants?' It Isn't Always Easy To Distinguish Between The Two. A Child Has Many Real Needs Which Can And Should Be Satisfied. His Wants Are A Bottomless Pit. He Wants, For Example, To Sleep With His Parents. He Needs To Be In His Own Bed. At Christmas He Wants Every Toy Advertised On Television. He Needs Only One Or Two.

Teenagers Crave Independence. The More Self-suf-ficient We Make Them Feel, The Less Hostile They Are Toward Us.

When Gentle Persuasion [of Children] Falls On Deaf Ears, We Resort To Ridicule And Rebuke. Then We Return To Threats And Punishment. This Is The Modus Operandi Of A Mutual Frustration Society.

The Search For A Personal Identity Is The Life Task Of A Teenager.

Parenthood Is An Endless Series Of Small Events, Periodic Conflicts, And Sudden Crises Which Call For A Response. The Response Is Not Without Consequence: It Affects Personality For Better Or For Worse.

To Be Himself, One Neeeds To Be Free From The Pressure Of Evaluative Praise

A Modern Teacher Educates Children To Value Their Emotions.