---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a grandparent doesn't interest me…"
description: "\"Being a grandparent doesn't interest me whatsoever. Babies are all right if they're your own, but I'm not interested in other people's. It's something ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/angela-bowie-28864_babies_being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me_2745386.jpg"
---

#  Being a grandparent doesn't interest me whatsoever. Babies…

![“Being a grandparent doesn't interest me whatsoever. Babies are all right if they're your own, but I'm not interested in other people's. It's something you tolerate because they are yours.” quote by Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/angela-bowie-28864_babies_being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me_2745386.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/angela-bowie-28864_babies_being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me_2745386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/angela-bowie-28864_babies_being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me_2745386.jpg)

> “Being a grandparent doesn't interest me whatsoever. Babies are all right if they're your own, but I'm not interested in other people's. It's something you tolerate because they are yours.”

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Grandparenting is accepted duty, not a personal desire; responsibility toward others' children is tolerated rather than embraced.

**In simple terms:** Caring for others' kids feels obligatory, not enjoyable.

Key Takeaway

Recognize duty, set boundaries.

Themes

responsibility family obligation personal preference tolerance

Mood

thoughtful neutral

Type

reflective philosophical

When to use this quote

- parenting
- caregiving
- family gatherings
- setting limits
- personal values

Key Concepts

Ethics social roles family dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you differentiate duty from desire?
- How can you find meaning in obligatory care?

A Different Perspective

May overlook personal fulfillment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Babies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babies/) [Grandparent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandparent/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [In some cultures they don't name their babies right away. They wait until they see how the child develops. Like in Dances with Wolves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reiser/in-some-cultures-they-don-t-name-their-babies-right-away-they-wait/)

[Paul Reiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reiser/)

> [“Make up your mind to this. If you are different, you are isolated, not only from people of your own age but from those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/make-up-your-mind-to-this-if-you-are-different-you-are-isolated-not/)

[Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/)

> [My father grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., with my grandparents. In Norwegian my name is pronounced 'Yoo' but my father used to call me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/my-father-grew-up-in-brooklyn-n-y-with-my-grandparents-in-norwegian/)

[Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/)

> [My mother was 45 when she had me, so when I was in high school my parents were the same age as my friends' grandparents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/my-mother-was-45-when-she-had-me-so-when-i-was-in-high-school-my/)

[Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/)

> [The scariest time of my life was when I knew my Nana was dying. It was horrible, as there's nothing I could do to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sanderson/the-scariest-time-of-my-life-was-when-i-knew-my-nana-was-dying-it-was/)

[Nikki Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sanderson/)

> [Does Grandpa love to baby-sit his grandchildren? Are you kidding? By day he is too busy taking hormone shots at the doctor's or chip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-boyle/does-grandpa-love-to-baby-sit-his-grandchildren-are-you-kidding-by/)

[Hal Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-boyle/)

> [The way that I feel about my Jewish identity has been really radically changed by events in life. Like, becoming a writer is one.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/the-way-that-i-feel-about-my-jewish-identity-has-been-really/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [In every state of the Union, Fundamentalists still fight to ban all the science they dislike and prosecute all who teach it. To them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/in-every-state-of-the-union-fundamentalists-still-fight-to-ban-all/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [I have a very broad demographic, from the 8-year-old who knows every word to 'Ice Ice Baby' and the college kid who grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanilla-ice/i-have-a-very-broad-demographic-from-the-8-year-old-who-knows-every/)

[Vanilla Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanilla-ice/)

> [Miami Beach - that's where I grew up, in a middle-class Jewish family led by my maternal grandfather. Me, my great-grandmother - a Holocaust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-ratner/miami-beach-that-s-where-i-grew-up-in-a-middle-class-jewish-family/)

[Brett Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-ratner/)

> [It's special, grandparents and grandchldren. So much simpler. Is it always so, I wonder? I think perhaps it is. While one's child takes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/it-s-special-grandparents-and-grandchldren-so-much-simpler-is-it/)

[Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/)

> [That's the privilege of being a grandparent - they can indulge the children while parents have to be the bad guy. Grandparents can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-stephens/that-s-the-privilege-of-being-a-grandparent-they-can-indulge-the/)

[Toby Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-stephens/)

> [I know that whenever a group of women are gathered together, the grandmother always makes a phantom appearance, hovering above them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/i-know-that-whenever-a-group-of-women-are-gathered-together-the/)

[Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/)

> [Blood is a destiny. One's genius descends in the stream from long lines of ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/blood-is-a-destiny-one-s-genius-descends-in-the-stream-from-long/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

## More by Angela Bowie

> [I like people who are devoted to me: men who know I'm the most fabulous thing in the world, and they just look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/i-like-people-who-are-devoted-to-me-men-who-know-i-m-the-most/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [I've always been a Marvel fan. As a kid, I would pick up a two-foot stack of comics and read them in the back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/i-ve-always-been-a-marvel-fan-as-a-kid-i-would-pick-up-a-two-foot/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [What adults don't always understand is that to a kid, a comic book is like a movie. My Marvel comics took my imagination to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/what-adults-don-t-always-understand-is-that-to-a-kid-a-comic-book-is/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [Sadness is weak; I don't believe in weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/sadness-is-weak-i-don-t-believe-in-weakness/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [My parents had no interest in spending a lot of time with me. They were busy doing what they were doing, but they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/my-parents-had-no-interest-in-spending-a-lot-of-time-with-me-they/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [Watching David write was inspiring to me. He was at his most content composing. Music floated from his mind and fingertips. He would strum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/watching-david-write-was-inspiring-to-me-he-was-at-his-most-content/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [I was always interested in acting and writing, and I honestly thought I'd make my name as a scriptwriter one day. But somehow, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/i-was-always-interested-in-acting-and-writing-and-i-honestly-thought/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [I remember giving birth in Bromley Hospital annexe. It was painful. Zowie was 8 lb. 8 oz. David was there the whole time. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/i-remember-giving-birth-in-bromley-hospital-annexe-it-was-painful/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [David and I were divorced in 1980, and there has been silence between us ever since. Despite our decade of marriage and a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/david-and-i-were-divorced-in-1980-and-there-has-been-silence-between/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [I hate being idle - there are still so many things I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/i-hate-being-idle-there-are-still-so-many-things-i-want-to-do/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [I don't know how much love David felt - I suspect very little. My main appeal to him was as a nurse, cook, housekeeper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/i-don-t-know-how-much-love-david-felt-i-suspect-very-little-my-main/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [In the early days, I was everything to David. I was his creative partner, his lover, his soul mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/in-the-early-days-i-was-everything-to-david-i-was-his-creative/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [I love my son, but I was never there for him, so I understand why he hates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/i-love-my-son-but-i-was-never-there-for-him-so-i-understand-why-he/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [Looking back, I can see that my life with David was molded by forces beyond my control and even my understanding. Still, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/looking-back-i-can-see-that-my-life-with-david-was-molded-by-forces/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

> [During my childhood in Cyprus, the British talked about the Cypriots as if the Cypriots were outsiders in their own country. And even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/during-my-childhood-in-cyprus-the-british-talked-about-the-cypriots/)

[Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

[Explore all 19 Angela Bowie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/)

## More Babies quotes

> [When I'm on Twitter, we just talk to people. I call all my Twitter followers my 'Twitter babies.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rozonda-thomas/when-i-m-on-twitter-we-just-talk-to-people-i-call-all-my-twitter/)

[Rozonda Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rozonda-thomas/)

> [If all fooles had babies, wee should want fuell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/if-all-fooles-had-babies-wee-should-want-fuell/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Yes, I'm a nice man and I enjoy babies. I'm a sensitive guy. I held a baby the other day and it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-shandling/yes-i-m-a-nice-man-and-i-enjoy-babies-i-m-a-sensitive-guy-i-held-a/)

[Garry Shandling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-shandling/)

> [It was an odd coincidence that my career took off the same decade as having babies. I often wished it had been different, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kaczmarek/it-was-an-odd-coincidence-that-my-career-took-off-the-same-decade-as/)

[Jane Kaczmarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kaczmarek/)

> [My videos, the ones I produced and co-directed and came up with a treatment from scratch - those are my babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/my-videos-the-ones-i-produced-and-co-directed-and-came-up-with-a/)

[Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/)

> [“you like babies, don't you? he asked... I have a marginally higher opinion of them than Herod, she said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-mcgown/you-like-babies-don-t-you-he-asked-i-have-a-marginally-higher-opinion/)

Jill McGown

> [God looks out for fools and babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meshell-ndegeocello/god-looks-out-for-fools-and-babies/)

[Meshell Ndegeocello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meshell-ndegeocello/)

> [“Babies who do not sleep ‘through the night’ alone in a cot, as soon as possible after birth, are seen as a ‘problem’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/babies-who-do-not-sleep-through-the-night-alone-in-a-cot-as-soon-as/)

[Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/)

> [Babies don't need a vacation, but I still see them at the beach... it pisses me off! I'll go over to a little baby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/babies-don-t-need-a-vacation-but-i-still-see-them-at-the-beach-it/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [“...For having a baby's sweet face so close to your own, for so long a time as it takes to nurse 'em, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-eisdorfer/for-having-a-baby-s-sweet-face-so-close-to-your-own-for-so-long-a/)

[Erica Eisdorfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-eisdorfer/)

> [Babies like fat. Like to bury they face up in you armpit and go to sleep. They like big fat legs too. That I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/babies-like-fat-like-to-bury-they-face-up-in-you-armpit-and-go-to/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [Some women just skip having babies or adopt because they don't want to get fat or they haven't put in the time to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-pressly/some-women-just-skip-having-babies-or-adopt-because-they-don-t-want/)

[Jaime Pressly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-pressly/)

> [“Even lizard + baby can be director.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-robert/even-lizard-baby-can-be-director/)

Robert Robert

> [People who make babies surrender their right to behave like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-hax/people-who-make-babies-surrender-their-right-to-behave-like-them/)

[Carolyn Hax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-hax/)

> [Babies are great but I am not ready to have one. Maybe ten years from now but not yet. I want to keep my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/babies-are-great-but-i-am-not-ready-to-have-one-maybe-ten-years-from/)

[Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/)

[Browse all 814 Babies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babies/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Being a grandparent doesn't interest me whatsoever. Babies are all right if they're your own, but I'm not interested in other people's. It's something you tolerate because they are yours.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Angela Bowie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me-whatsoever-babies-are-all/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Babies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me-whatsoever-babies-are-all/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/angela-bowie-28864_babies_being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me_2745386.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/angela-bowie-28864_babies_being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me_2745386.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/angela-bowie-28864_babies_being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me_2745386.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Being a grandparent doesn't interest me whatsoever. Babies are all right if they're your own, but I'm not…” — Angela Bowie",
                "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": "Angela Bowie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Being a grandparent doesn't interest me...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me-whatsoever-babies-are-all/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/being-a-grandparent-doesn-t-interest-me-whatsoever-babies-are-all/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
