Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos’ Parenting Quotes About Their Kids

It sure seems like Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have it all: amazing careers, a solid marriage and three beautiful children. The longtime couple’s best parenting quotes prove they adore being a mom and dad as they never get enough of kids Michael Consuelos, Lola Consuelos and Joaquin Consuelos.

The Live With Kelly and Ryan host and the Riverdale star first became the proud parents of their brood when they welcomed eldest son Michael in June 1997. The lovebirds — who tied the knot in 1996 — expanded their family when daughter Lola arrived in June 2001, followed by youngest son Joaquin in February 2003.

Over the years, Kelly and her handsome hunk have been quite vocal when it comes to raising their kiddos. Whether she’s sharing tips and tricks for shipping them off to college or celebrating a milestone accomplishment, the All My Children alum and Mark have continued to be their kids’ No. 1 fans.

However, Kelly joked now that her little ones are getting older, they aren’t super thrilled by their parents’ over-the-top tendencies. “They make fun of us constantly,” the Hope & Faith actress once told Andy Cohen. The proud mom even dished there was a time when her children wouldn’t let her post photos of them on social media — especially Lola.

“It’s so bizarre. I’m never allowed to post a photo of her — ever … why did I have these kids if not to exploit them on social media?” Kelly teased during a visit on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2017. “I was like, ‘You know what? She can’t get mad at an eight-year-old photo.’”

Considering Kelly is all about her brood, it’s no surprise she once considered having another baby. In fact, the Emmy Award winner revealed she’s “regretful” they “didn’t” try to have more children when they were younger.

“There [are] many different reasons. First of all, triangulation. When they are small … you always have two against one. It is just the way it is, it’s unavoidable,” Kelly explained to cohost Ryan Seacrest. “But I also just loved having them. I adore them as the grown-ups that they’ve become … but when they are tiny, they are just so adorable. And they say amazing things, and I miss all of that.”

Scroll through the gallery below to see Kelly and Mark’s best parenting quotes!

On Being Empty-Nesters

With their youngest son, Joaquin, off to college, Kelly and Mark officially have an empty nest. Their eldest son, Michael, lives on his own in New York City since graduating from New York University in May 2020, while daughter Lola is currently a student at her older brother’s alma mater. As for Joaquin, he started his first year at the University of Michigan for the fall 2021 school year.

Sharing her feelings about being empty-nesters, Kelly uploaded a selfie of her and Mark cuddling on the couch in late August. “So far we are crushing this empty nest thing,” she penned.

On Focusing on Education

In 2014, Kelly told W endy Williams that she had to take daughter Lola’s phone away because she was playing with it instead of learning Spanish at school. “I’m like, ‘You’re half-Mexican. Your grandmother is a Spanish teacher. You’re not allowed to fail Spanish. It’s the one thing you’re not allowed to fail,’” Kelly explained.

On the Importance of Family Dinners

When her eldest son, Michael, was leaving home for college in 2016, Kelly explained the importance of family dinners to ABC News. “It means so much to the kids. It means so much to me. Does it always go as planned? Of course not,” she said. “But guess what? We are together. We have these meaningful conversations. We talk about the days of our children. That’s what’s interesting to us.” Aww!

On Being the ‘Good Cop’ Parent

In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Kelly pondered over whether she or Mark was the “good cop” parent in their family. “He’s more apt to dole out discipline, but my punishments are real,” she said. “When we’re traveling, Mark will say, ‘If you don’t stop, I’m going to have the pilot turn this plane around.’ I’ll whisper to him, ‘They know you can’t do that. The airline isn’t going to turn this plane around because you’re punishing the kids.'” Ha!

On Taking Away Privacy

In 2014, the Live host opened up on The Wendy Williams Show about a time she went through her teenage daughter’s phone. “There was her phone, and it’s not supposed to be there during study hours,” Kelly said of Lola using her phone when she wasn’t supposed to be. “So I was like, ‘Let me just dial in her code.’ She knows I know her code, but she doesn’t think I would ever abuse that privilege.”

On Spending Time With Their Brood

Kelly and Mark got candid about the reality of their kids growing up. The pair noted how the holidays are going to start feeling a little more lonely as Michael, Lola and Joaquin go off and start their own lives.

“As the kids are getting older … we know that these holidays are going to be almost coming up on the last we can all kind of dictate where they spend their holidays and [will] have to share that with their new families,” Mark told Us Weekly in December 2019.

Kelly chimed in, “In the blink of an eye, your kids grow up and suddenly you are begging them to spend time with you.”

On Her Kids’ Bond

Kelly and Mark moved Lola into her freshman dorm at New York University in August 2019. At the time, the doting mom revealed how overwhelmed she was feeling as she dropped her second child off at college.

“The younger two are really close in age. Like, I didn’t even know I was pregnant with the third one because I was still nursing the second one,” Kelly revealed. “I just assumed that, you know, I was just gaining weight from nursing. I was that one person who was gaining weight from nursing. So they really are very, very close and I didn’t realize how close they were until it was time to say goodbye.”