I think birth and motherhood are not things that you're trained to do. You might have a good example in your own mum, but nobody teaches you how to be a really great mum.
Interpretation
Motherhood is an innate experience that cannot be fully taught or prepared for.
In this quote, Julie Andrews emphasizes the idea that while having a mother as an example can provide some guidance, the journey of motherhood is primarily learned through personal experience rather than formal training or instruction. This highlights the challenges and uncertainties that come with parenting, suggesting that love and dedication are more critical than acquired skills.
In practice
During a parenting workshop, you might quote this to highlight the importance of real-life experiences.
I've learned a lot of things about myself through singing. I used to have a certain dislike of the audience, not as individual people, but as a giant body who was judging me. Of course, it wasn`t really them judging me. It was me judging me. Once I got past that fear, it freed me up, not just when I was performing but in other parts of my life.
Singing has been a cherished gift, and my inability to sing has been a devastating blow.
My mother was terribly important to me, and I know how much I yearned for her in my youth, but I don't think I truly trusted her.
I come from a long line of below-stairs maids and gardeners. Good ol' peasant stock. My mother and her sister made a quantum leap out of that life. Then I made another quantum leap.
Every time I go out to perform, believe me. You never lose that fear of, 'I hope I do it right. I hope I don't fall flat on my face. I hope this will be good for them.'
Success is terrifying. Like happiness, it is often appreciated in retrospect. It's only later that you place it in perspective. Years from now, I'll look back and say, ‘God, wasn't it wonderful.’
My father was always in good spirits, he loved football. It makes me a bit sad because if he could enjoy seeing me now, what I have achieved, that would be a highlight in his life. But I'm sure that he watches over me from above.
My dad wasn't a power hitter, and I didn't think I'd be a power hitter because the person I wanted to be like was him, and he was the one that taught me to play the game.
I've never felt like I was in my mother's shadow. If anything, I felt like I was in her embrace.
Who can blame desperate parents for wanting to escape the horror that their families are experiencing?
I take my kids to school and if I go to work they visit me on set, I come home. I have dinner with my family. I have breakfast with my family. I have a very solid, a very warm home. I'm fortunate.
A Message to Children Who Have Read This Book - When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important: a stodgy parent is no fun at all. What a child wants and deserves is a parent who is SPARKY.
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