I’m the father of an 19-month-old boy (we’ve pictured here in my very early daddyhood days and I’m wearing my “So much crying; the baby, too” T-shirt) and have have experienced an enormous parenting learning curve, both from my own daily life and in talking to other parents. I’m inspired to share this knowledge and hungry to take in tips from others. Still, there’s little time to do so in today’s busy lives. What to do? I’ve begun doing what I already do best: seeking and sharing advice in six-word bites.

So here’s the challenge for rookie and experienced moms and dads: share your best six-word advice on being a parent—something you’ve learned yourself or from others.

The more specific and surprising the advice the better. Skip the general platitudes (you know, all that “Love them more than you know” and “They really grow up so fast” stuff) and dig into the weird and in its own way useful lessons you’ve learned along the way. My friend Zoe Allen advises, “Treat infants like terrorists: no negotiating,” while the so-cool mom blogger Rebecca Woolf) suggest, “Not breastfeeding? May as well lie.” The New Yorker’s Ben Greenman says: “Buy goldfish, which die, as lessons.”

Share your Six Words of Mom or Dad advice in the comments here, or over on our Facebook page. Who knows? Your advice could end up being put to excellent use by confused (and exhausted) parents across the world.