Penelope Leach

“It is misleading to imagine that we can list children's needs as if they were items on a shopping list.”

“Children don't need 'quality time.' They need 'quantity time.'”

“A child's sense of self is not an add-on, a frill, a luxury; it is the very core of his personality.”

“The more you know about your child's stages of development, the more you can relax and enjoy each one.”

“Every baby needs at least one person who is crazy about him.”

“Discipline isn't about punishing bad behavior; it's about teaching good behavior.”

“Babies are not possessions. They are not extensions of their parents. They are small people, with their own feelings and their own rights.”

“A baby's cry is a communication, not a manipulation.”

“Play is the royal road to childhood happiness and adult brilliance.”

“The best thing parents can do for their children is to love each other.”

“Anger is a signal, and one worth listening to.”

“What a child can do in cooperation today, he can do alone tomorrow.”

“The point of parenting is not to have a well-behaved child, but to have a well-loved child who knows how to behave.”