Or you might shout at the top of your lungs or whisper into your sleeve, "I hate you, God." That is a prayer too, because it is real, it is truth, and maybe it is the first sincere thought you've had in months.
Anne LamottRead
Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The challenges of navigating relationships with teenagers can be uncomfortable, yet it's essential to endure through those difficult moments.
Anne Lamott likens the experience of dealing with teenagers to having a persistent yet manageable discomfort, such as a low-grade bladder infection. This metaphor speaks to the trials and tribulations of parenting or engaging with teenagers, suggesting that while the process can be painful and exhausting, it is often a necessary part of life that must be endured with resilience and patience.
Themes
TeenagersPainResilienceLifeParenting
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about parenting, one might reference this quote to emphasize the challenges faced during teenage years.
More from Anne Lamott
All quotes βYour problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.
Anne LamottRead
It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.
Anne LamottRead
Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention: mangoes, grandnieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible. If you say, "Well, that's pretty much what I thought I'd see," you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here. [...] Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.
Anne LamottRead
...because when people have seen you at their worst, you don't have to put on the mask as much.
Anne LamottRead
As a Christian and a feminist, the most important message I can carry and fight for is the sacredness of each human life, and reproductive rights for all women are a crucial part of that. It is a moral necessity that we not be forced to bring children into the world for whom we cannot be responsible and adoring and present. We must not inflict life on children who will be resented; we must not inflict unwanted children on society.
Anne LamottRead
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And now, I'm glad I didn't know the way it all would end, the way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance, I could've missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the Dance.
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