--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up not understanding what was true…" description: "\"I grew up not understanding what was true and what was not true. It gave me a sense of unreality. I was told that this man [mom's lover] was not my mot..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/carly-simon-9969_babysitter_i-grew-up-not-understanding-what-was-tru_666648.jpg" --- # I grew up not understanding what was true and what was not… ![“I grew up not understanding what was true and what was not true. It gave me a sense of unreality. I was told that this man [mom's lover] was not my mother's lover - when he was. I was told he was there as a male babysitter for my brother so that he would learn sports and other manly things.” quote by Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/carly-simon-9969_babysitter_i-grew-up-not-understanding-what-was-tru_666648.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/carly-simon-9969_babysitter_i-grew-up-not-understanding-what-was-tru_666648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be5/carly-simon-9969_babysitter_i-grew-up-not-understanding-what-was-tru_666648.jpg) > “I grew up not understanding what was true and what was not true. It gave me a sense of unreality. I was told that this man \[mom's lover\] was not my mother's lover - when he was. I was told he was there as a male babysitter for my brother so that he would learn sports and other manly things.” [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes childhood confusion about reality and deception, feeling detached from truth. **In simple terms:** Childhood confusion about truth caused unreality. Key Takeaway Question personal narratives and seek clarity. Themes identity truth family deception psychology Mood conflicted reflective Type personal psychological When to use this quote - family dynamics - personal reflection - healing - therapy Key Concepts memory subjective reality trust Questions to Reflect On - How have these early deceptions shaped your adult relationships? - What steps can you take to rebuild trust? A Different Perspective The account may be biased by memory distortion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Babysitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babysitter/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Grew up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-up/) [Lover Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lover-told-4009249/) [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Manly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manly/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Lover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-lover-1041908/) [My brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-brother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Told Male](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-male-4138758/) [Told Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-man-258636/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Unreality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreality/) [Unreality Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreality-told-5301228/) ## Related quotes > [His gaze was a lot steadier than her heartbeat. “She’s the reason for those whispered phone calls I used to overhear, isn’t she?” “Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/his-gaze-was-a-lot-steadier-than-her-heartbeat-she-s-the-reason-for/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [In 'Attachments,' which is told from a male point of view, people asked me if a man would really think that much about whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/in-attachments-which-is-told-from-a-male-point-of-view-people-asked/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [When I look at female characters, I want to recognize myself in them: my trials, my tribulations as a mother, as a lover, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/when-i-look-at-female-characters-i-want-to-recognize-myself-in-them-2/) [Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/) > [Capricorn females makes a good mother, lover and life partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/capricorn-females-makes-a-good-mother-lover-and-life-partner/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You make it sound as if I hit her. I did nothing to Edie!' 'Oh? You did nothing? The woman I found in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/you-make-it-sound-as-if-i-hit-her-i-did-nothing-to-edie-oh-you-did/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) > [“Mother, if you love her- Mother, if you love her, keep her clean. Mother, if you lover her, keep her-”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ami-mckay/mother-if-you-love-her-mother-if-you-love-her-keep-her-clean-mother/) [Ami Mckay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ami-mckay/) > [All I needed was a friend to lend a guiding hand. But you turned into a lover, and mother what a lover, you wore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/all-i-needed-was-a-friend-to-lend-a-guiding-hand-but-you-turned-into/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [I will go back to the great sweet mother, Mother and lover of men, the sea. I will go down to her, I and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/i-will-go-back-to-the-great-sweet-mother-mother-and-lover-of-men-the-2/) [Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/) > [“I will go back to the great sweet mother, Mother and lover of men, the sea. I will go down to her, I and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/i-will-go-back-to-the-great-sweet-mother-mother-and-lover-of-men-the/) [Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/) > [The three most destructive words that every man receives when he's a boy is when he's told to 'be a man'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ehrmann/the-three-most-destructive-words-that-every-man-receives-when-he-s-a/) [Joe Ehrmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ehrmann/) > [“he told me that a man must be responsible for any seed he sows, for it’s his duty to take care of a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/he-told-me-that-a-man-must-be-responsible-for-any-seed-he-sows-for-it/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“I loved a man,"she said. "I told you - a man doesn't alter because you find out more about him. He's still the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-loved-a-man-she-said-i-told-you-a-man-doesn-t-alter-because-you/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“He wore his hair in a way that suggested he'd just rolled out of bed after thrashing all night. In an earlier decade, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/he-wore-his-hair-in-a-way-that-suggested-he-d-just-rolled-out-of-bed/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [When told that man lives in delusion everyone thinks of himself as the exception; hence his delusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/when-told-that-man-lives-in-delusion-everyone-thinks-of-himself-as/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [“I love Paul O'Neill, but you could not pay me enough to work for him again" one official told me. "the man has never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/i-love-paul-o-neill-but-you-could-not-pay-me-enough-to-work-for-him/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## More by Carly Simon > [Sometimes, but the year I lived in France I started to write songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/sometimes-but-the-year-i-lived-in-france-i-started-to-write-songs/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I remember being onstage once when I didn't have fear: I got so scared I didn't have fear that it brought on an anxiety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-remember-being-onstage-once-when-i-didn-t-have-fear-i-got-so-scared/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I'm still more comfortable with standards than with my own songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-m-still-more-comfortable-with-standards-than-with-my-own-songs/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [The advancements that women have made are very threatening to men in the job place. There haven't been that many women in politics. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/the-advancements-that-women-have-made-are-very-threatening-to-men-in/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [As a singer I tried on all these hats, these voices, these clothes, and eventually out came me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/as-a-singer-i-tried-on-all-these-hats-these-voices-these-clothes-and/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [We change our opinions of ourselves so often. What the outside world thinks is only a small part of our image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/we-change-our-opinions-of-ourselves-so-often-what-the-outside-world/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [You usually can't tell what's inspiring until you look back on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/you-usually-can-t-tell-what-s-inspiring-until-you-look-back-on-it/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-had-some-dreams-they-were-clouds-in-my-coffee/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [I had this terrible stammer, so I couldn't really speak properly until I was 16 or 17.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-had-this-terrible-stammer-so-i-couldn-t-really-speak-properly-until/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [You know, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 I realized I had spent too long arranging my attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/you-know-when-i-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer-in-1997-i-realized-i/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [Do you know how many concerts I've done in my whole life, in more than 35 years of performing? Sixty-four.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/do-you-know-how-many-concerts-i-ve-done-in-my-whole-life-in-more-than/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [Sometimes my boyfriend would write the lyrics and I would write the melody, and other times I would start from scratch. Or sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/sometimes-my-boyfriend-would-write-the-lyrics-and-i-would-write-the/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [Life is a dream even in its most painful moments, it's a dream that we can dance to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/life-is-a-dream-even-in-its-most-painful-moments-it-s-a-dream-that-we/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [But when we listened to the radio, it was Bill Haley and the Comets or the Everly Brothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/but-when-we-listened-to-the-radio-it-was-bill-haley-and-the-comets-or/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [It's like The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat, about the discovery of penicillin. Out of these strange accidents come huge discoveries. A certain purple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/it-s-like-the-mold-in-dr-florey-s-coat-about-the-discovery-of/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) [Explore all 69 Carly Simon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) ## More Babysitter quotes > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [In advertisements for your favorite products, are women denigrated or objectified in some way? All of that is important. I would rewrite my kids'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/in-advertisements-for-your-favorite-products-are-women-denigrated-or/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [Most of the things that I remember from childhood wouldn't make a particularly good story: rescuing worms during rainstorms, our schnauzer attacking a wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/most-of-the-things-that-i-remember-from-childhood-wouldn-t-make-a/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [A babysitter is a teenager acting like an adult while the adults are out acting like teenagers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-babysitter-is-a-teenager-acting-like-an-adult-while-the-adults-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was not easy for my mother, being a struggling actress and raising a child. We were these two sort of vagabonds, never knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-applegate/it-was-not-easy-for-my-mother-being-a-struggling-actress-and-raising/) [Christina Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-applegate/) > [Leo: "So...giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/leo-so-giants-who-can-throw-mountains-friendly-wolves-that-will-eat/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [There is no part of me that feels that I represented myself as your children’s babysitter or their teacher. I was always, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/there-is-no-part-of-me-that-feels-that-i-represented-myself-as-your/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [“I’m probably the first woman in my family to ever contemplate hiring a babysitter so she can go break a friend out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-cameron/i-m-probably-the-first-woman-in-my-family-to-ever-contemplate-hiring/) [Marc Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-cameron/) > [My dad's all I've ever had. When I was 3 and 4, my mom used to take me to bars. I understand why now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-dad-s-all-i-ve-ever-had-when-i-was-3-and-4-my-mom-used-to-take-me/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [When I was growing up, if there was a Young Adult section of my town's library, I missed it. I wandered right from 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/when-i-was-growing-up-if-there-was-a-young-adult-section-of-my-town-s/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I begged my mom to take me to CPR class at the age of 12 because I wanted to start being a babysitter in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tayshia-adams/i-begged-my-mom-to-take-me-to-cpr-class-at-the-age-of-12-because-i/) [Tayshia Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tayshia-adams/) > [Many times we talk about the people that have come to enjoy the show. They went through a lot to get here, whatever they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-petrucci/many-times-we-talk-about-the-people-that-have-come-to-enjoy-the-show/) [John Petrucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-petrucci/) > [“Mom just got you a babysitter! She had to pay her a ton to stay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-carter/mom-just-got-you-a-babysitter-she-had-to-pay-her-a-ton-to-stay/) [Renee Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-carter/) > [I clip hand sanitizer to my purse. I used to be a babysitter back in the day, so I got germaphobic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-c-moore/i-clip-hand-sanitizer-to-my-purse-i-used-to-be-a-babysitter-back-in/) [Adrienne C. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-c-moore/) > [It is a little ironic that one thing a babysitter should not do is sit on a baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/it-is-a-little-ironic-that-one-thing-a-babysitter-should-not-do-is/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) [Browse all 98 Babysitter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babysitter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up not understanding what was true and what was not true. It gave me a sense of unreality. I was told that this man [mom's lover] was not my mother's lover - when he was. 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