“In the first years of our lives we learn how to shit, talk, walk, sleep, eat and, most importantly, how to royally piss off our parents.”
The quote by A.G. Phillips humorously captures the classic dynamic between children and their parents. From learning basic functions to testing boundaries, children have always found ways to push their parents' buttons. This timeless observation serves as a reminder that even in the ever-evolving landscape of parenthood, some things remain constant.
The quote by A.G. Phillips humorously captures the essence of childhood rebellion and the dynamics between children and their parents. It highlights the universal experience of young children testing boundaries and pushing parental buttons.
The quote suggests that as we grow and begin to navigate the world, we inevitably learn not only basic functions like walking and talking, but also how to assert our independence and challenge authority figures in our lives. This aspect of childhood development can be both frustrating for parents and crucial for a child's growth and autonomy. Overall, the quote humorously touches on the typical struggles of parenthood and the natural progression of children towards independence.
As we grow and develop from infancy to childhood, we inevitably test boundaries, push limits, and often find ways to frustrate our parents. Reflect on your own childhood experiences and consider the following questions:
In what ways did you challenge or disobey your parents during your upbringing?
How did your parents typically react to your misbehavior or actions that upset them?
Can you identify any patterns or reasons behind why you pushed back against your parents' rules or expectations?
How do you think your behavior towards your parents as a child may have impacted your relationship with them now as an adult?
Have you noticed any similarities between your childhood behavior and the behavior of children in your life now, such as nieces, nephews, or friends' kids?
“It is not what we know that scares us, it is what we do not”
“Peace cannot be achieved; they have to be plucked out of their pod.”
“The wish to be understood may be our most vengeful demand, may be the way we hang on, as asults, to our grudge against our mothers; the way we never let our mothers off the hook for their not meeting our every need. Wanting to be understood, as adults, can be our most violent form of nostalgia.”
“The only real failure in life is giving up. On looking back let it stand to our credit in life's balance sheet that at least we tried, and tried hard.”
“I'm going to fall in love with an artist. And we'll have two kids and live in the country. A quiet life, so we can hear our muses and answer when they call. Tipping up my chin to meet his gaze, he gives me a tender, starlit smile—one that melts my insides. "I like your version better.”
“Growing up seems easier for men, maybe because their rites of passage are clearer. They perform acts of bravery on the battlefield or show they're men through physical labor or by making money. For women, it's more confusing. We have no rites of passage. Do we become women when a man first makes love to us? If so, why do we refer to it as a loss of virginity? Doesn't the word 'loss' imply that we are better off before? I abhor the idea that we become women only through the physical act of a man. No, I think we become women when we learn what is important in our lives, when we learn to give and to take with a loving heart.”