--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I cannot give my children a perfect…" description: "\"If I cannot give my children a perfect mother I can at least give them more of the one they've got--and make that one more loving. I will be available...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/anonymous-1_children_if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-m_1170346.jpg" --- # If I cannot give my children a perfect mother I can at… ![“If I cannot give my children a perfect mother I can at least give them more of the one they've got--and make that one more loving. I will be available. I will take time to listen, time to play, time to be home when they arrive from school, time to counsel and encouerage.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/anonymous-1_children_if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-m_1170346.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/anonymous-1_children_if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-m_1170346.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/anonymous-1_children_if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-m_1170346.jpg) > “If I cannot give my children a perfect mother I can at least give them more of the one they've got--and make that one more loving. I will be available. I will take time to listen, time to play, time to be home when they arrive from school, time to counsel and encouerage.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 can’t be perfect, but she can give extra love, presence, and support to her children. **In simple terms:** Give more love and presence if not perfect. Key Takeaway Be present, listen, play, and encourage. Themes parenting love presence support Mood warm hopeful Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - family dinner - after‑school time - parent‑child conversations - playtime Key Concepts emotional intelligence attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you increase quality time with your kids? - What small actions show love daily? A Different Perspective Perfection is unattainable; focus on effort not flaw. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I may have not been the perfect child a mother could have. I may have made several mistakes and might have had hurt you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-may-have-not-been-the-perfect-child-a-mother-could-have-i-may-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The greatest thing she'd ever learn over the many years is that, there's no way to be a perfect mother, But there's a Million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-thing-she-d-ever-learn-over-the-many-years-is-that-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The greatest thing she'd learned over the years is that there's no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-thing-she-d-learned-over-the-years-is-that-there-s-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a perfect Friend. I am not a perfect Mother. I am not a perfect Wife. I am not a perfect Person. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-perfect-friend-i-am-not-a-perfect-mother-i-am-not-a-perfect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't expect your children to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/you-can-t-expect-your-children-to-be-perfect/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [“Your children are a perfect example of your beauty, because it starts from within...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ryzak/your-children-are-a-perfect-example-of-your-beauty-because-it-starts/) John Ryzak > [Bachelors' wives and old maids' children are always perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/bachelors-wives-and-old-maids-children-are-always-perfect/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Idle time is the devil's play time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/idle-time-is-the-devil-s-play-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My father was always telling himself no one was perfect, not even my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/broderick-crawford/my-father-was-always-telling-himself-no-one-was-perfect-not-even-my/) [Broderick Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/broderick-crawford/) > [“The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-churchill/the-most-important-thing-she-d-learned-over-the-years-was-that-there/) Jill Churchill > [Certainly, being a 'perfect' mother is unachievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-tsing-loh/certainly-being-a-perfect-mother-is-unachievable/) [Sandra Tsing Loh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-tsing-loh/) > [I never try to be the poster child for the perfect mother/wife... You prioritize, you do the best you can possibly do, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-olson/i-never-try-to-be-the-poster-child-for-the-perfect-mother-wife-you/) [Candice Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-olson/) > [I was a perfect mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maye-musk/i-was-a-perfect-mother/) [Maye Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maye-musk/) > [I think what women are doing to themselves is that they're seeing these different images of perfection - the perfect wife, the perfect mother,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debora-spar/i-think-what-women-are-doing-to-themselves-is-that-they-re-seeing/) [Debora Spar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debora-spar/) > [What writing ROOM taught me was that I know exactly how to be the perfect mother, but I'm not willing to do it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/what-writing-room-taught-me-was-that-i-know-exactly-how-to-be-the/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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": "If I cannot give my children a perfect mother I can at least give them more of the one they've got--and make that one more loving. I will be available. I will take time to listen, time to play, time to be home when they arrive from school, time to counsel and encouerage.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-mother-i-can-at-least-give/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-mother-i-can-at-least-give/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/anonymous-1_children_if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-m_1170346.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/anonymous-1_children_if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-m_1170346.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/anonymous-1_children_if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-m_1170346.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I cannot give my children a perfect mother I can at least give them more of the one they've got--and make…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I cannot give my children...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-mother-i-can-at-least-give/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-cannot-give-my-children-a-perfect-mother-i-can-at-least-give/#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 } } ] } ```