--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a good mother does not call for the…" description: "\"Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife; a dedication to keeping children clean and tidy may override an int..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ann-oakley-50141_be-good_being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-th_2030262.png" --- # Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities… ![“Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife; a dedication to keeping children clean and tidy may override an interest in their separate development as individuals.” quote by Ann Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ann-oakley-50141_be-good_being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-th_2030262.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ann-oakley-50141_be-good_being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-th_2030262.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ann-oakley-50141_be-good_being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-th_2030262.png) > “Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife; a dedication to keeping children clean and tidy may override an interest in their separate development as individuals.” [Ann Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Motherhood and housewifery require different skills; child care may conflict with fostering individuality. **In simple terms:** Mothering ≠ housewife; child care can limit personal growth. Key Takeaway Balance care with child development. Themes gender roles parenting individuality Mood reflective empathetic Type analytical social When to use this quote - parenting classes - family counseling - policy making - education programs Key Concepts Feminist theory developmental psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can mothers nurture individuality? - What support helps balance roles? A Different Perspective Societal expectations can pressure mothers into one role. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dedication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dedication/) [Housewife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housewife/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) ## Related quotes > [A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-mother-s-love-for-her-child-is-like-nothing-else-in-the-world/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Sometimes being a good mother gets in the way of being a good person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-forsythe-hailey/sometimes-being-a-good-mother-gets-in-the-way-of-being-a-good-person/) [Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-forsythe-hailey/) > [I fully intend to make amends and get back to being a good mother, wife, daughter, and friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-favor-hamilton/i-fully-intend-to-make-amends-and-get-back-to-being-a-good-mother/) Suzy Favor Hamilton > [I'll show up at every classroom open house and teacher conference,' she said, now in a voice that was almost frightening in its intensity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/i-ll-show-up-at-every-classroom-open-house-and-teacher-conference-she/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [The attempt to be an ideal parent, that is, to behave correctly toward the child, to raise her correctly, not to give to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-attempt-to-be-an-ideal-parent-that-is-to-behave-correctly-toward/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Being a good mother, it seemed to me, meant you ran the risk of losing your child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/being-a-good-mother-it-seemed-to-me-meant-you-ran-the-risk-of-losing/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I think my mother taught me what not to do. She put us first, always, sometimes to the detriment of herself. She encouraged me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-think-my-mother-taught-me-what-not-to-do-she-put-us-first-always/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [And that's the insult of it, how always it comes back to a woman being a "good" mother in the world's eyes or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-that-s-the-insult-of-it-how-always-it-comes-back-to-a-woman-being/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [For me, I purely enjoyed being newly married and being a wife to my husband, a good housewife, and enjoying with my in-laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esha-deol/for-me-i-purely-enjoyed-being-newly-married-and-being-a-wife-to-my/) [Esha Deol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esha-deol/) > [Nature, being a wise and provident lady, governs her parts very wisely, methodically, and orderly: Also, she is very industrious and hates to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cavendish/nature-being-a-wise-and-provident-lady-governs-her-parts-very-wisely/) [Margaret Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cavendish/) > [“Mrs. O’Dowd, the good housewife, arrayed in curl papers and a camisole, felt that her duty was to act, and not to sleep, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/mrs-o-dowd-the-good-housewife-arrayed-in-curl-papers-and-a-camisole/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Appeles us'd to paint a good housewife upon a snayl; which intimated that she should be as slow from gadding abroad, and when she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/appeles-us-d-to-paint-a-good-housewife-upon-a-snayl-which-intimated/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [In Virgil's account of the good housewife, who rises early in order to measure out the work of the household, and in Solomon's description…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-ward-howe/in-virgil-s-account-of-the-good-housewife-who-rises-early-in-order-to/) [Julia Ward Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-ward-howe/) > [A housewife deserves to be honored as much as a woman who earns her living in the marketplace. I consider bringing up children a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/a-housewife-deserves-to-be-honored-as-much-as-a-woman-who-earns-her/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [Apelles used to paint a good housewife on a snail, to import that she home-keeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/apelles-used-to-paint-a-good-housewife-on-a-snail-to-import-that-she/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) ## More by Ann Oakley > [If love means that one person absorbs the other, then no real relationship exists any more. Love evaporates; there is nothing left to love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/if-love-means-that-one-person-absorbs-the-other-then-no-real/) [Ann Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/) > [Housework is work directly opposed to the possibility of human self-actualization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/housework-is-work-directly-opposed-to-the-possibility-of-human-self/) [Ann Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/) > [There are always women who will take men on their own terms. If I were a man I wouldn't bother to change while there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/there-are-always-women-who-will-take-men-on-their-own-terms-if-i-were/) [Ann Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/) > [Families are nothing other than the idolatry of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/families-are-nothing-other-than-the-idolatry-of-duty/) [Ann Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/) > [Clearly, society has a tremendous stake in insisting on a woman's natural fitness for the career of mother: the alternatives are all too expensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/clearly-society-has-a-tremendous-stake-in-insisting-on-a-woman-s/) [Ann Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/) > [Men are the enemies of women. Promising sublime intimacy, unequalled passion, amazing security and grace, they nevertheless exploit and injure in a myriad subtle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/men-are-the-enemies-of-women-promising-sublime-intimacy-unequalled/) [Ann Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/) [Explore all 7 Ann Oakley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The difference in being good at some thing and being great at something is usually found in the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-anderson/the-difference-in-being-good-at-some-thing-and-being-great-at/) Randy Anderson > [It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character-is-good-or-bad-he-just-has/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife; a dedication to keeping children clean and tidy may override an interest in their separate development as individuals.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann Oakley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-the-same-qualities-as-being-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be good" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-the-same-qualities-as-being-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ann-oakley-50141_be-good_being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-th_2030262.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ann-oakley-50141_be-good_being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-th_2030262.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ann-oakley-50141_be-good_being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-th_2030262.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife; a dedication to keeping…” — Ann Oakley", "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": "Ann Oakley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-oakley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being a good mother does not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-the-same-qualities-as-being-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-oakley/being-a-good-mother-does-not-call-for-the-same-qualities-as-being-a/#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 } } ] } ```