There's no handbook for parenting. So you walk a very fine line as a parent because you are civilizing these raw things. They will tip the coffee over and finger-paint on the table. At some point, you have to say, 'We're gonna have to clean that up because you don't paint with coffee on a table.'

There is no job more important than parenting. This I believe.

The child supplies the power but the parents have to do the steering.

If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much.

Children should have enough freedom to be themselves - once they've learned the rules.

Most people who have grown up introverted in this very extroverted culture of ours have had painful experiences of feeling like they are out of step with what's expected of them. Parenting can pose unique challenges for introverted parents, who fear that their own painful experiences will be repeated in their children's lives.

At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents.

Children are not casual guests in our home. They have been loaned to us temporarily for the purpose of loving them and instilling a foundation of values on which their future lives will be built.

I might be at the odd press conference with a little bit of spill on me because I'm not going to hide the imperfections of parenting. I don't think anyone needs that.

I have this blanket thing about giving parenting advice to parents, and that's: 'Don't take other people's advice on parenting.'

Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. They seem not to notice us, hovering, averting our eyes, and they seldom offer thanks, but what we do for them is never wasted.

I sort of feel like people are not that honest about their own parenting. Take any teenage household; tell me there is not yelling and conflict.

I have three daughters, so I can't be as tough as I want to be. When you have kids - especially daughters - they know how to work you. They're a lot smarter than we are, that's for sure. But I'll be more tough on their boyfriends.

I do think that there's an art form to parenting, and I have nothing but admiration for those who do it well.

No matter how much time you spend reading books or following your intuition, you're gonna screw it up. Fifty times. You can't do parenting right.

Parents were invented to make children happy by giving them something to ignore.

My parenting philosophy pretty much boils down to this: I love my kids; I tolerate yours. Mine just make common, age-appropriate mistakes - phases, let's call them - while your kids are completely undisciplined and probably need counseling.

I ask only child-free pals for parenting advice because they're the only ones sane and well-rested enough to have any real insight.

I'm not the first to admit that raising a child in Park Slope, Brooklyn, can bear an embarrassing resemblance to the TV show 'Portlandia.' My wife and I try to have some ironic distance from the culture of organic, chemical-free parenting, but we're often participants.

Having a baby is a life-changer. It gives you a whole other perspective on why you wake up every day.