--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’ve been thinking about that. About how…" description: "\"“I’ve been thinking about that. About how your kids aren’t really yours, they’re just these people that you try to keep an eye on, and hope you’ll all ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21c/barbara-kingsolver-200_child_i-ve-been-thinking-about-that-about-how_1907999.jpg" --- # I’ve been thinking about that. About how your kids aren’t… ![“I’ve been thinking about that. About how your kids aren’t really yours, they’re just these people that you try to keep an eye on, and hope you’ll all grow up someday to like each other and still be in one piece.” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21c/barbara-kingsolver-200_child_i-ve-been-thinking-about-that-about-how_1907999.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21c/barbara-kingsolver-200_child_i-ve-been-thinking-about-that-about-how_1907999.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21c/barbara-kingsolver-200_child_i-ve-been-thinking-about-that-about-how_1907999.jpg) > ““I’ve been thinking about that. About how your kids aren’t really yours, they’re just these people that you try to keep an eye on, and hope you’ll all grow up someday to like each other and still be in one piece.”” [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. Parents are caretakers, not owners; we must guide children while respecting their autonomy and future selves. **In simple terms:** Parents guide, not own. Key Takeaway Respect children’s independence. Themes family parenting autonomy Mood thoughtful empathetic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - childrearing - education - family dynamics - personal development Key Concepts development responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do you foster independence in children? - What boundaries support healthy growth? A Different Perspective Balancing guidance and freedom is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kids Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-aren-309240/) [Someday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someday/) [Someday Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someday-like-444949/) [Thinking Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-kids-269523/) ## Related quotes > [But nothing on this earth is guaranteed, when you get right down to it, you know ? I've been thinking about that. About how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-nothing-on-this-earth-is-guaranteed-when-you-get-right-down-to-it/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“About how your kids aren’t really yours, they’re just these people that you try to keep an eye on, and hope you’ll all grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/about-how-your-kids-aren-t-really-yours-they-re-just-these-people/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“If I am to write my memoirs someday I would like to have good material to work with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cambias/if-i-am-to-write-my-memoirs-someday-i-would-like-to-have-good/) [James Cambias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cambias/) > [Don't leave the one who loves you for someone you like. Because someday, someone you like will leave you for the one they love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-leave-the-one-who-loves-you-for-someone-you-like-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You will love me someday like a way I did and I will not love you anymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-love-me-someday-like-a-way-i-did-and-i-will-not-love-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Someday you will cry for me, like I cried for you. Someday you will miss me, like I missed you. Someday you will need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayurkumar-solanki/someday-you-will-cry-for-me-like-i-cried-for-you-someday-you-will/) [Mayurkumar Solanki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayurkumar-solanki/) > [Even though I have this solid career in picture books, I've not only been thinking about kids - because I don't think that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-small/even-though-i-have-this-solid-career-in-picture-books-i-ve-not-only/) [David Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-small/) > [I go to sleep thinking about my kids being spoiled and I wake up thinking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/i-go-to-sleep-thinking-about-my-kids-being-spoiled-and-i-wake-up/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [If you start thinking about the kids being born now, for them the computer is ancient history. So one imagines that when children think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/if-you-start-thinking-about-the-kids-being-born-now-for-them-the/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) > [“Someday, I'd like to live a life based on doing good stuff instead of just not doing bad stuff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/someday-i-d-like-to-live-a-life-based-on-doing-good-stuff-instead-of/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“... But someday, I'd like to live a life based on doing good stuff instead of just not doing bad stuff. You know?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/but-someday-i-d-like-to-live-a-life-based-on-doing-good-stuff-instead/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Those kids aren't dumb. But the people who run these schools want to make sure they don't get smart: they are really teaching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-kids-aren-t-dumb-but-the-people-who-run-these-schools-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think that kids aren't even exploring the option of sports anymore, and they don't even know what they could do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-felix/i-think-that-kids-aren-t-even-exploring-the-option-of-sports-anymore/) [Allyson Felix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-felix/) > [“He definitely does. Kids aren’t dumb. They watch and remember everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-howell/he-definitely-does-kids-aren-t-dumb-they-watch-and-remember-everything/) [Sloane Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-howell/) > [Kids aren't growing up with a sense of television as the aspirational place for their ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/kids-aren-t-growing-up-with-a-sense-of-television-as-the-aspirational/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) ## 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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