--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was standing in the schoolyard waiting…" description: "\"I was standing in the schoolyard waiting for a child when another mother came up to me. Have you found work yet? she asked. Or are you still just writi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/anne-tyler-1837_children_i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting_265701.jpg" --- # I was standing in the schoolyard waiting for a child when… ![“I was standing in the schoolyard waiting for a child when another mother came up to me. Have you found work yet? she asked. Or are you still just writing?” quote by Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/anne-tyler-1837_children_i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting_265701.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/anne-tyler-1837_children_i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting_265701.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/anne-tyler-1837_children_i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting_265701.jpg) > “I was standing in the schoolyard waiting for a child when another mother came up to me. Have you found work yet? she asked. Or are you still just writing?” [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother’s inquiry about work and writing reveals societal expectations and personal identity. **In simple terms:** Mother asks about job and writing, highlighting expectations. Key Takeaway Consider how questions shape self‑perception. Themes family dynamics career identity gender roles Mood contemplative empathetic Type literary insightful When to use this quote - parent‑child interaction - career transition - creative pursuits Key Concepts expectations self‑worth Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do we make about success? - How does questioning affect creative confidence? A Different Perspective The question may assume a linear career path, overlooking non‑traditional routes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I was used to waiting for her. As a child I'd waited for hel all the time, but it never annoyed me because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/i-was-used-to-waiting-for-her-as-a-child-i-d-waited-for-hel-all-the/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [ I have met a lot of the people who were stiffed by you and your businesses, Donald \[Trump\]. I've met dishwashers, painters, architects, glass… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-met-a-lot-of-the-people-who-were-stiffed-by-you-and-your/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The pressure to perform is relentless in today's workplace - regardless of where you work. We are all being asked to do more with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-bay/the-pressure-to-perform-is-relentless-in-today-s-workplace-regardless/) [Willow Bay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-bay/) > [If I was a pig to work with I would never get asked back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-schofield/if-i-was-a-pig-to-work-with-i-would-never-get-asked-back/) [Phillip Schofield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-schofield/) > [I try to do all of the work I'm asked to do and make sure I do exactly what the coach says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-partey/i-try-to-do-all-of-the-work-i-m-asked-to-do-and-make-sure-i-do/) [Thomas Partey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-partey/) > [If you want a piece of my time, the work I've put in has earned me the right to get paid for the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-schlereth/if-you-want-a-piece-of-my-time-the-work-i-ve-put-in-has-earned-me-the/) [Mark Schlereth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-schlereth/) > [I find being funny very hard work. I am always asked about it, and I feel guilty saying that, but it's the truth. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-kahn/i-find-being-funny-very-hard-work-i-am-always-asked-about-it-and-i/) [Madeline Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-kahn/) > [“What kind of work do you do,” I asked. “Promise you won’t laugh?” “Promise.” “I’m a proctologist.” I couldn’t help it. I laughed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-andrews/what-kind-of-work-do-you-do-i-asked-promise-you-won-t-laugh-promise-i/) [Buffy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-andrews/) > [When we are caught up in the nature of our work and are asked to take on another job or position, rarely do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-grossman/when-we-are-caught-up-in-the-nature-of-our-work-and-are-asked-to-take/) [Mindy Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-grossman/) > [Are you at work?" I asked. Not precisely, but that's a good suggestion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-richardson/are-you-at-work-i-asked-not-precisely-but-that-s-a-good-suggestion/) [Kat Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-richardson/) > [I absolutely love to work and when they asked me to appear on 'Edge of Night' I thought it would be great fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-blake/i-absolutely-love-to-work-and-when-they-asked-me-to-appear-on-edge-of/) [Amanda Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-blake/) > [“Is most of your work out there?” she asked. “Yeah.” “Why didn’t you move out there?” “’Cause LA is insanity, filled with fruits and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/is-most-of-your-work-out-there-she-asked-yeah-why-didn-t-you-move-out/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [I would say to any young black , if you get a job and you're asked to work 100%, then you work 125% and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-clarke/i-would-say-to-any-young-black-if-you-get-a-job-and-you-re-asked-to/) [Noel Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-clarke/) > [“My mother's mother came to this country in the usual way--she got on a boat with other immigrants and sailed from Sicily. She wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cotto/my-mother-s-mother-came-to-this-country-in-the-usual-way-she-got-on-a/) [Andrew Cotto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cotto/) > [“The words of my mother came to me in a yellowed letter long lost. And speaking into my present from some distant place far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-words-of-my-mother-came-to-me-in-a-yellowed-letter-long-lost-and/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) ## More by Anne Tyler > [Try Jesus, you won't regret it, a billboard read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/try-jesus-you-won-t-regret-it-a-billboard-read/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Every place I go I miss another place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/every-place-i-go-i-miss-another-place/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [I'm falling into disrepair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-m-falling-into-disrepair/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [None of my own experiences ever finds its way into my work. However, the stages of my life - motherhood, middle age, etc. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/none-of-my-own-experiences-ever-finds-its-way-into-my-work-however/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [For my own family, I would always choose the makeshift, surrogate family formed by various characters unrelated by blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/for-my-own-family-i-would-always-choose-the-makeshift-surrogate/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [Mostly it's lies, writing novels. You set out to tell an untrue story and you try to make it believable, even to yourself. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/mostly-it-s-lies-writing-novels-you-set-out-to-tell-an-untrue-story/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [When I read, I'm purely a reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/when-i-read-i-m-purely-a-reader/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“You wake in the morning, you’re feeling fine, but all at once you think, “Something’s not right. Something’s off somewhere; what is it?” And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/you-wake-in-the-morning-you-re-feeling-fine-but-all-at-once-you-think/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“...that was Julian for you: reckless. A dashing sailor, a speedy driver, a frequenter of single bars, he was the kind of man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/that-was-julian-for-you-reckless-a-dashing-sailor-a-speedy-driver-a/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Disaster followed disaster... the hero stuck in there, though. Macon had long ago noticed that all adventure movies had the same moral: Perseverance pays.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/disaster-followed-disaster-the-hero-stuck-in-there-though-macon-had/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [It struck her all at once that dealing with other human beings was an awful lot of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-struck-her-all-at-once-that-dealing-with-other-human-beings-was-an/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Justine hated pantsuits. Whenever she saw one, she had an urge to tell the owner some scandalous fortune, loudly enough to be heard everywhere:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/justine-hated-pantsuits-whenever-she-saw-one-she-had-an-urge-to-tell/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [My family can always tell when I'm well into a novel because the meals get very crummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/my-family-can-always-tell-when-i-m-well-into-a-novel-because-the/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“She liked to think that she was wearing her beauty out—using it up, she liked to think. She took some satisfaction in it, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/she-liked-to-think-that-she-was-wearing-her-beauty-out-using-it-up/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [It is not how much you love someone, but who you are when you are with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-is-not-how-much-you-love-someone-but-who-you-are-when-you-are-with/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) [Explore all 202 Anne Tyler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was standing in the schoolyard waiting for a child when another mother came up to me. Have you found work yet? she asked. Or are you still just writing?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Tyler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting-for-a-child-when-another/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting-for-a-child-when-another/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/anne-tyler-1837_children_i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting_265701.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/anne-tyler-1837_children_i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting_265701.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/anne-tyler-1837_children_i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting_265701.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was standing in the schoolyard waiting for a child when another mother came up to me. Have you found work…” — Anne Tyler", "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": "Anne Tyler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was standing in the schoolyard...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting-for-a-child-when-another/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-was-standing-in-the-schoolyard-waiting-for-a-child-when-another/#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 } } ] } ```