Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds. The most powerful ones are those we can't even describe, aren't even aware of.
Ellen GoodmanRead
The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Parenthood involves balancing hopes and fears for our children.
Ellen Goodman highlights the essential challenge of being a parent: the necessity to prioritize our aspirations for our children over our anxieties. This quote underscores the idea that while fears about a child's future are natural, it is ultimately the hopes and dreams that should guide our actions and support for their growth and development.
Themes
ParenthoodHopesFearsChildrenGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
During a parenting seminar, this quote can be used to inspire parental confidence.
More from Ellen Goodman
All quotes βThis packrat has learned that what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we loved. In the end, it's the family stories that are worth the storage.
Ellen GoodmanRead
Parents remain our touchstones, fellow travelers, even after death. They are both missing and present.
Ellen GoodmanRead
What do I want to take home from my summer vacation? Time. The wonderful luxury of being at rest. The days when you shut down the mental machinery that keeps life on track and let life simply wander. The days when you stop planning, analyzing, thinking and just are. Summer is my period of grace.
Ellen GoodmanRead
My father used to say that if a man fools you once, he's a jerk. If he fools you twice, you're a jerk. Only he didn't use the word "jerk."
Ellen GoodmanRead
There's a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over - and to let go. It means leaving what's over without denying its validity or its past importance in our lives.
Ellen GoodmanRead
Similar quotes
I have a sister, so I know-that relationship, it's all about fairness: you want your sibling to have exactly what you have-the same amount of toys, the same number of meatballs on your spaghetti, the same share of love. But being a mother is completely different. You want your child to have more than you ever did. You want to build a fire underneath her and watch her soar. It's bigger than words.
Jodi PicoultRead
I think when you become a parent you go from being a star in the movie of your own life to the supporting player in the movie of someone else's.
Craig FergusonRead
Tying the little folks with the older folks is a great and powerful tool to preserve and to protect the family and the individual.
Alex HaleyRead
I had my Olympic gold medal cut up into eleven pieces. Gave all eleven of my kids a piece. It'll come together again when they put me down.
Joe FrazierRead
When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body - it's a blessing.
Lou GehrigRead
My mother groaned, my father wept, into the dangerous world I leapt.
William BlakeRead