We invited you to share the smartest advice you ever got about raising kids, for our 20th Anniversary Contest in May. We received more than a thousand insightful and inspiring entries  -- it was tough to pick the winners. Read on for the best tips of the bunch!

Plus: Send us your favorite mom tip  -- it could be featured in an upcoming issue of Parenting!

Grand Prize winner: Jillian Ezekiel, mom of Malka, 15 months, Flushing, NY


What she won: 4-day 3-night vacation for four at the Orlando World Center Marriott, including airfare for four, golf, and spa treatments.
Value: $3500

Jillian's advice: "Follow the 80-20 rule: 80 percent of your interactions with your kids should be positive, and only 20 percent negative. That means a lot of compliments, encouragement, and humor (jokes count!). Negatives include impatience. Though my daughter is still young, I try to remember, as she grows and our family grows, the importance of a warm, positive home."

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