--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having children was not like people said…" description: "\"“Having children was not like people said. Forget training them in your footsteps; the minute they put down the teething ring and found the Internet, y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/barbara-kingsolver-200_child_having-children-was-not-like-people-said_1615446.png" --- # Having children was not like people said. Forget training… ![“Having children was not like people said. Forget training them in your footsteps; the minute they put down the teething ring and found the Internet, you were useless as a source of anything but shoes and a winter coat.” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/barbara-kingsolver-200_child_having-children-was-not-like-people-said_1615446.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/barbara-kingsolver-200_child_having-children-was-not-like-people-said_1615446.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1e/barbara-kingsolver-200_child_having-children-was-not-like-people-said_1615446.png) > ““Having children was not like people said. Forget training them in your footsteps; the minute they put down the teething ring and found the Internet, you were useless as a source of anything but shoes and a winter coat.”” [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parenting expectations clash with modern independence; children quickly outgrow traditional guidance. **In simple terms:** Kids become self‑sufficient fast. Key Takeaway Accept changing roles; guide, don’t control. Themes parenting technology independence generational gaps Mood reflective concerned Type advice observational When to use this quote - adolescent independence - digital literacy - parent‑child communication - setting boundaries Key Concepts digital age family dynamics identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How can parents stay relevant without over‑directing? - What new skills can adults offer beyond material support? A Different Perspective Traditional advice may feel irrelevant in a fast‑changing world. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Having children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-children/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [People Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-said/) [Said Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-forget-276866/) [Teething](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teething-1112573/) [Teething Ring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teething-ring-6161058/) ## Related quotes > [Watching teething babies is like watching over a thermonuclear reactor-it is best done in shifts, by well-rested people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/watching-teething-babies-is-like-watching-over-a-thermonuclear/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [I'm drowning in your wake shit rubbed in my face. Teething on concrete gums bleeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mudvayne/i-m-drowning-in-your-wake-shit-rubbed-in-my-face-teething-on-concrete/) [Mudvayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mudvayne/) > [DROOLING: How teething babies wash their chins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/drooling-how-teething-babies-wash-their-chins/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principal one was that they escaped teething.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/adam-and-eve-had-many-advantages-but-the-principal-one-was-that-they/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Because I liked you better Than suits a man to say, It irked you, and I promised I'd throw the thought away. To put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-i-liked-you-better-than-suits-a-man-to-say-it-irked-you-and-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“…We know in advance what’s going to be said, and so we forget to listen….”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-webster/we-know-in-advance-what-s-going-to-be-said-and-so-we-forget-to-listen/) [John Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-webster/) > [They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-may-forget-what-you-said-but-they-will-never-forget-how-you-made/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You've invaded my mind and I can't get you out of it," he accused with discernible disdain. She avoided looking at him and said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/you-ve-invaded-my-mind-and-i-can-t-get-you-out-of-it-he-accused-with/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [People will forget what you said,they will forget what you did,but they will never forget how much you made them feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmine/people-will-forget-what-you-said-they-will-forget-what-you-did-but/) [Jazmine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmine/) > [While having a girl in life Ive learned that she will forget what you said, she will forget what you did, but she will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ctate/while-having-a-girl-in-life-ive-learned-that-she-will-forget-what-you/) [CTate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ctate/) > [Forget every last thing I ever said and forget me to because I plan on leaving you soon. You can tell anyone I dont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaliyah-owens/forget-every-last-thing-i-ever-said-and-forget-me-to-because-i-plan/) [Aaliyah Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaliyah-owens/) > [Once our heart was broken, we often said how to forget you?... Well, you don't have to forget a person who sometime became your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-reolope/once-our-heart-was-broken-we-often-said-how-to-forget-you-well-you/) [Janet Reolope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-reolope/) > [“It's wrong, what you say, and I beg you, if you're a good man, to forget what you've said, as I forget it," she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/it-s-wrong-what-you-say-and-i-beg-you-if-you-re-a-good-man-to-forget/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I lied," I said. ... "I know it," he said. "Then do something about it. Do anything, just so it's something." "I cant," he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-lied-i-said-i-know-it-he-said-then-do-something-about-it-do/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Who was it said, ‘We forget because we must’? He was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/who-was-it-said-we-forget-because-we-must-he-was-right/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) ## More by Barbara Kingsolver > [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## More Child quotes > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“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 parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/) [Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. 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