--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Part of our responsibility as parents, as…" description: "\"Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children. But we have to like children in order to be really happy fulfilled a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/bobby-mcferrin-12039_adults_part-of-our-responsibility-as-parents-as_911930.png" --- # Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to… ![“Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children. But we have to like children in order to be really happy fulfilled adults” quote by Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/bobby-mcferrin-12039_adults_part-of-our-responsibility-as-parents-as_911930.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/bobby-mcferrin-12039_adults_part-of-our-responsibility-as-parents-as_911930.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/bobby-mcferrin-12039_adults_part-of-our-responsibility-as-parents-as_911930.png) > “Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children. But we have to like children in order to be really happy fulfilled adults” [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adults should model genuine love for children, which leads to personal fulfillment and healthy relationships. **In simple terms:** Love children to be fulfilled adults. Key Takeaway Show authentic affection to kids. Themes parenting authenticity fulfillment relationships modeling Mood warm thoughtful Type parental philosophical When to use this quote - family gatherings - parenting classes - mentor programs - community events Key Concepts empathy self‑actualization intergenerational bonds Questions to Reflect On - What does “like children” mean to you? - How can adults maintain boundaries while being loving? A Different Perspective Children’s needs may conflict with adult responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Examples Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examples-children-1342853/) [Fulfilled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfilled/) [Fulfilled Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfilled-adults-1342852/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-children/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-adults-1342851/) [Really happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-happy/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsibility Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-parents-1170236/) ## Related quotes > [Parents should be the most important examples for their children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-turlington/parents-should-be-the-most-important-examples-for-their-children/) [Christy Turlington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-turlington/) > [“The problem with parents is that they're adults.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/the-problem-with-parents-is-that-they-re-adults/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [Parents and Adults, STOP demanding from children what you have not yet become!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rey-mellomida/parents-and-adults-stop-demanding-from-children-what-you-have-not-yet/) [Rey Mellomida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rey-mellomida/) > [“Enmeshment creates almost total dependence on approval and validation from outside yourself. Lovers, bosses, friends, even strangers become the stand-in for parents. Adults like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-forward/enmeshment-creates-almost-total-dependence-on-approval-and-validation/) [Susan Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-forward/) > [Very young children have no way to verify the accuracy and validity of what parents and adults tell them. So be truthful to them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rey-mellomida/very-young-children-have-no-way-to-verify-the-accuracy-and-validity/) [Rey Mellomida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rey-mellomida/) > [“Nowadays it often takes two parents working full-time to secure the same standard of living one wage earner could provide thirty or forty years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/nowadays-it-often-takes-two-parents-working-full-time-to-secure-the/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [My parents had become adults during the Great Depression, as had many of my aunts and uncles, so I got stories from all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-parents-had-become-adults-during-the-great-depression-as-had-many/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I suggest that this is a good time to think soberly about our responsibilities to our descendents - those who will ring out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyman-rickover/i-suggest-that-this-is-a-good-time-to-think-soberly-about-our/) [Hyman Rickover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyman-rickover/) > [“work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it, because in fact everything in life does count on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/work-at-our-responsibility-as-parents-as-if-everything-in-life-2/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [Work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/work-at-our-responsibility-as-parents-as-if-everything-in-life/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [The ambiguous, gray areas of authority and responsibility between parents and teachers exacerbate the distrust between them. The distrust is further complicated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/the-ambiguous-gray-areas-of-authority-and-responsibility-between/) [Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/) > [It seems to me that a great deal of this type of censorship has to do with absolving parents of responsibility - parents who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/it-seems-to-me-that-a-great-deal-of-this-type-of-censorship-has-to-do/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Anybody who has children and children who are well feels a sense of responsibility towards parents and kids and families that are struggling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/anybody-who-has-children-and-children-who-are-well-feels-a-sense-of/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [“For a while parents seemed to forget that their responsibility as parents did not cease when the child turned on the radio; rather it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-c-waller/for-a-while-parents-seemed-to-forget-that-their-responsibility-as/) [Judith C. Waller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-c-waller/) > [Role modeling is the most basic responsibility of parents. Parents are handing life's scripts to their children, scripts that in all likelihood will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/role-modeling-is-the-most-basic-responsibility-of-parents-parents-are/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) ## More by Bobby McFerrin > [The true musician is to bring light into people's hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-true-musician-is-to-bring-light-into-people-s-hearts/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/well-i-started-conducting-kind-of-by-accident-i-wanted-to-give-myself/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The voice gets to the soul of a person more than any other instrument. Because it's the voice. It sings talks, it cries, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-voice-gets-to-the-soul-of-a-person-more-than-any-other-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Then I left that school and I went to Cerritos College, which was in southern California; they had one of the best big band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/then-i-left-that-school-and-i-went-to-cerritos-college-which-was-in/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I have a lot of albums yet to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-have-a-lot-of-albums-yet-to-do/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up there, it's collaborative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-audience-is-like-my-instrument-it-s-not-just-me-up-there-it-s/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Here's a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry, be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/here-s-a-little-song-i-wrote-you-might-want-to-sing-it-note-for-note/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [When we listen to improvisational jazz, or solo classical violinists, the way they phrase and inflect melodies feels vocal, like they’re talking to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/when-we-listen-to-improvisational-jazz-or-solo-classical-violinists/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I do a lot of performing, but don't get a chance to go to the studio and write good music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-do-a-lot-of-performing-but-don-t-get-a-chance-to-go-to-the-studio/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-use-the-audience-as-my-color-palette-my-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I prepared five songs, I sang them, and he hired me. I started working about a month later at the piano bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-prepared-five-songs-i-sang-them-and-he-hired-me-i-started-working/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-love-the-song-my-songs-are-like-my-children/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/my-biggest-musical-influences-are-probably-my-parents/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I’m not a scholar or a psychologist, so I don’t really think about why. But I do think about what it means to sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-m-not-a-scholar-or-a-psychologist-so-i-don-t-really-think-about-why/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Remembering that life can be full of surprises is useful in any part of your life. You can try a new way of singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/remembering-that-life-can-be-full-of-surprises-is-useful-in-any-part/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) [Explore all 56 Bobby McFerrin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## More Adults 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [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/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) [K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/) > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children. 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