--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother left us when I was twelve. She…" description: "\"“My mother left us when I was twelve. She found a man who was not as parsimonious as my father and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada which is two thousand fiv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/a-s-king-2293_las-vegas_my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she_1826059.jpg" --- # My mother left us when I was twelve. She found a man who… ![“My mother left us when I was twelve. She found a man who was not as parsimonious as my father and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada which is two thousand five hundred miles away. She doesn't visit. She doesn’t call. She sends me a card on my birthday with fifty dollars in it, which my father nags me…” quote by A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/a-s-king-2293_las-vegas_my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she_1826059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/a-s-king-2293_las-vegas_my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she_1826059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/a-s-king-2293_las-vegas_my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she_1826059.jpg) > ““My mother left us when I was twelve. She found a man who was not as parsimonious as my father and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada which is two thousand five hundred miles away. She doesn't visit. She doesn’t call. She sends me a card on my birthday with fifty dollars in it, which my father nags me about until I finally go to the bank and deposit it. And so, for all six years she’s been gone, I have $337 to show for having a mother. Dad says that thirty-seven bucks is good interest. He doesn't see the irony in that. He doesn't see the word interest as anything not connected to money because he’s an accountant and to him, everything is a number. I think $37 and no other and no visits or phone calls is shitty interest.”” [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator critiques a distant mother’s minimal financial support, highlighting emotional neglect and transactional view of love. **In simple terms:** Mother gives money, not care. Key Takeaway Recognize true support beyond money. Themes family neglect money irony Mood sad critical Type personal social When to use this quote - family reunions - financial planning - therapy Key Concepts transactional love emotional distance financial strain Questions to Reflect On - What would you say to a parent who only offers money? - How does framing love as interest affect relationships? A Different Perspective Money cannot replace emotional presence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Las vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/las-vegas/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Phone calls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-calls/) [Word play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-play/) ## Related quotes > [Over and over in the play my character says, "I'm thirty-two years old," as if that should explain everything that's wrong in her life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/over-and-over-in-the-play-my-character-says-i-m-thirty-two-years-old/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) > [“As Oscar Wilde says, thirty-five is the perfect age for a woman, so much so that many women have decided to adopt it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fielding/as-oscar-wilde-says-thirty-five-is-the-perfect-age-for-a-woman-so/) [Helen Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fielding/) > [“Yet a day comes when a man notices or says that he is thirty. Thus he asserts his youth. But simultaneously he situates himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/yet-a-day-comes-when-a-man-notices-or-says-that-he-is-thirty-thus-he/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Lies, fictions and untrue suppositions can create new human truths which build technology, art, language, everything that is distinctly of Man. The word "stone"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/lies-fictions-and-untrue-suppositions-can-create-new-human-truths/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Yes I am weezy but I ain't asthmatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/yes-i-am-weezy-but-i-ain-t-asthmatic/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [“If I program ’ware with an Anglo-Ubiq word and play it, you understand it,” Scile said. “If I do the same with a word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/if-i-program-ware-with-an-anglo-ubiq-word-and-play-it-you-understand/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [I guess the toughest things in translations are word play, which can never be reproduced exactly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-guess-the-toughest-things-in-translations-are-word-play-which-can/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“It's an attempted murder. It's a suicide, but you're attempting to make it seem like a murder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/it-s-an-attempted-murder-it-s-a-suicide-but-you-re-attempting-to-make/) [Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/) > [“For a moment the rank felt as though they had just returned from single-handedly conquering a distant province. They felt, in fact, tremendously bucked-up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/for-a-moment-the-rank-felt-as-though-they-had-just-returned-from/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“practice is just another word for “play.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-benjamin/practice-is-just-another-word-for-play/) [Oliver Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-benjamin/) > [I was a horrible student! It just sort of evolved as I started playing. I guess I became a master of it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-was-a-horrible-student-it-just-sort-of-evolved-as-i-started-playing/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [“Fantasy like thought that no man could rain Just let her reign Run wild with her unafraid Of any rain storms They only wash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maquita-donyel-irvin/fantasy-like-thought-that-no-man-could-rain-just-let-her-reign-run/) [Maquita Donyel Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maquita-donyel-irvin/) > [The Love word I never play with that word rite there cause telling somebody you Love them and you don't really mean can end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-myers-jr/the-love-word-i-never-play-with-that-word-rite-there-cause-telling/) [Michael Myers Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-myers-jr/) > [ “\[...\] let us go with all our "devils" to the help of our "god"!” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm/let-us-go-with-all-our-devils-to-the-help-of-our-god/) [Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) ## More by A.S. King > [“I only hope that for right now, you remember that there is no place for hate in a happy life. I don’t care who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-only-hope-that-for-right-now-you-remember-that-there-is-no-place/) [A.s. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“I don't even use the stupid shampoo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-don-t-even-use-the-stupid-shampoo/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“Maybe if I hadn’t been so hell-bent on not becoming my parents, I could have saved Charlie. Maybe I would have been his girlfriend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/maybe-if-i-hadn-t-been-so-hell-bent-on-not-becoming-my-parents-i/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [But that's a side effect of alcohol, isn't it? Stopping to think about other people is not on the bar menu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/but-that-s-a-side-effect-of-alcohol-isn-t-it-stopping-to-think-about/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“Most people don't think past themselves. I know that. But I want Vera to see other people. To respect other people. To realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/most-people-don-t-think-past-themselves-i-know-that-but-i-want-vera/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > ["You two would make a cute couple," she says as she passes by with a full dough tray in her arms. I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/you-two-would-make-a-cute-couple-she-says-as-she-passes-by-with-a/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“You'll never lose me, Vera. I'm the Great Hunter now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/you-ll-never-lose-me-vera-i-m-the-great-hunter-now/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“I love vocab. It's like spelunking in a cave you've been in your whole life and discovering a thousand new tunnels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-love-vocab-it-s-like-spelunking-in-a-cave-you-ve-been-in-your-whole/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“But they keep saving me because they know I stand for something. They're just not sure what yet. -The Pagoda”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/but-they-keep-saving-me-because-they-know-i-stand-for-something-they/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [I was also built from delusional optimism and folly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-was-also-built-from-delusional-optimism-and-folly/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [How can we say nobody's perfect if there is no perfect to compare to? Perfection implies that there really is a right and wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/how-can-we-say-nobody-s-perfect-if-there-is-no-perfect-to-compare-to/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“My toaster could have a soul,and the walnut grove to the east of my house could be just a bunch of trees or could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/my-toaster-could-have-a-soul-and-the-walnut-grove-to-the-east-of-my/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“I bring my hand to my face and pull away tiny pieces of the jagged scab. My face reflects in the rounded airplane window,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-bring-my-hand-to-my-face-and-pull-away-tiny-pieces-of-the-jagged/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“I didn't have the time to slice a hundred shallow cuts into his lips and make him suck limes. I was too busy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-didn-t-have-the-time-to-slice-a-hundred-shallow-cuts-into-his-lips/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“As I drive home, I picture other signs- one for everyone who has a secret. Bill Corso's would say, I CAN'T READ, BUT I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/as-i-drive-home-i-picture-other-signs-one-for-everyone-who-has-a/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) [Explore all 173 A.S. King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) ## More Las vegas quotes > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [“The town will never be the same. After the Tangiers, the big corporations took it all over. Today it looks like Disneyland. And while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-rothstein/the-town-will-never-be-the-same-after-the-tangiers-the-big/) Sam Rothstein > [I worry about Las Vegas schools. I hear in math, they only teach them to count to 21.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/i-worry-about-las-vegas-schools-i-hear-in-math-they-only-teach-them/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [“Diesel" - his name sounded sweet coming out of her mouth --"I want you, and I mean I really, really want you. Please. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-carlson/diesel-his-name-sounded-sweet-coming-out-of-her-mouth-i-want-you-and/) [Amanda Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-carlson/) > [Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is perfect in the same way that The Great Gatsby is perfect. Take a pencil and read these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mckeen/fear-and-loathing-in-las-vegas-is-perfect-in-the-same-way-that-the/) [William McKeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mckeen/) > [I love Las Vegas, but I never get a chance to play a club like the House of Blues. I guess we've graduated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/i-love-las-vegas-but-i-never-get-a-chance-to-play-a-club-like-the/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [I just like doing normal things, going to the shops in Manchester, getting a meal with my girlfriend and kids, going to the cinema.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bisping/i-just-like-doing-normal-things-going-to-the-shops-in-manchester/) [Michael Bisping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bisping/) > [Before The Ultimate Fighter, I was appearing before a couple of hundred people at most. Now, I'm on the card of a Las Vegas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whittaker/before-the-ultimate-fighter-i-was-appearing-before-a-couple-of/) [Robert Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whittaker/) > [Las Vegas is a resort whose two chief sources of income are seven and eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/las-vegas-is-a-resort-whose-two-chief-sources-of-income-are-seven-and/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [“Buy calmly and with meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/buy-calmly-and-with-meaning/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [ \[On Las Vegas:\] ... The City That Never Sleeps. The City That Sins and Smiles and Lives On the Edge. The city where vices… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kijewski/on-las-vegas-the-city-that-never-sleeps-the-city-that-sins-and-smiles/) [Karen Kijewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kijewski/) > [In all my years in show business - on stage, clubs and TV shows - my audience has been 75 percent white. In Las…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nipsey-russell/in-all-my-years-in-show-business-on-stage-clubs-and-tv-shows-my/) [Nipsey Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nipsey-russell/) > [“Rosette disappeared onto the dance floor. Wells sat in silence for a minute, watching the dancers. The worldwide cult of fast money spent stupidly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/rosette-disappeared-onto-the-dance-floor-wells-sat-in-silence-for-a/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [“The dragons live in the casino? Tee's eyes widened and alarm coursed through her. My God, it's like the Rocky Horror Picture Show.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-scott/the-dragons-live-in-the-casino-tee-s-eyes-widened-and-alarm-coursed/) Susannah Scott [Browse all 559 Las vegas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/las-vegas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My mother left us when I was twelve. She found a man who was not as parsimonious as my father and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada which is two thousand five hundred miles away. She doesn't visit. She doesn’t call. She sends me a card on my birthday with fifty dollars in it, which my father nags me about until I finally go to the bank and deposit it. And so, for all six years she’s been gone, I have $337 to show for having a mother. Dad says that thirty-seven bucks is good interest. He doesn't see the irony in that. He doesn't see the word interest as anything not connected to money because he’s an accountant and to him, everything is a number. I think $37 and no other and no visits or phone calls is shitty interest.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A.S. King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she-found-a-man-who-was-not-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Las vegas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she-found-a-man-who-was-not-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/a-s-king-2293_las-vegas_my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she_1826059.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/a-s-king-2293_las-vegas_my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she_1826059.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/045/a-s-king-2293_las-vegas_my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she_1826059.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My mother left us when I was twelve. She found a man who was not as parsimonious as my father and moved to…” — A.S. King", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "A.S. King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“My mother left us when I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she-found-a-man-who-was-not-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/my-mother-left-us-when-i-was-twelve-she-found-a-man-who-was-not-as/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```