--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I made the decision a long time ago that…" description: "\"I made the decision a long time ago that I had an obligation to my children that I happily fulfilled.\" — Connie Stevens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/connie-stevens-31085_children_i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that_1169649.jpg" --- # I made the decision a long time ago that I had an… ![“I made the decision a long time ago that I had an obligation to my children that I happily fulfilled.” quote by Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/connie-stevens-31085_children_i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that_1169649.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/connie-stevens-31085_children_i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that_1169649.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/connie-stevens-31085_children_i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that_1169649.jpg) > “I made the decision a long time ago that I had an obligation to my children that I happily fulfilled.” [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A parent’s duty to children is a chosen responsibility that brings fulfillment. **In simple terms:** Children are a responsibility you choose. Key Takeaway Embrace parental obligations joyfully. Themes family responsibility fulfillment Mood thoughtful motivational Type family inspirational When to use this quote - raising children - family decisions - career balancing Key Concepts Parenting ethics personal commitment Questions to Reflect On - What obligations bring you joy? - How do you balance self-care with family duties? A Different Perspective Overcommitment may cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The splendid rewards of life had marched by without sweeping him into their army of happily fulfilled beings;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-gibbons/the-splendid-rewards-of-life-had-marched-by-without-sweeping-him-into/) [Stella Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-gibbons/) > [Our greatest obligation to our children is to prepare them to understand and to deal effectively with the world in which they will live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-l-kirk/our-greatest-obligation-to-our-children-is-to-prepare-them-to/) Grayson L. Kirk > [I think we have a moral obligation to our children that can be easily summarized: number one, protect them from harm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-allen/i-think-we-have-a-moral-obligation-to-our-children-that-can-be-easily/) [Tom Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-allen/) > [Why not coincidentally? From religion comes hope for the future and a sense of societal obligation (i.e., a non-hedonistic worldview). No faith, no hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-feder/why-not-coincidentally-from-religion-comes-hope-for-the-future-and-a/) [Don Feder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-feder/) > [Let us be different in our homes. Let us realize that along with food, shelter, and clothing, we have another obligation to our children,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele-faber/let-us-be-different-in-our-homes-let-us-realize-that-along-with-food/) [Adele Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele-faber/) > [I just made a decision a long time ago: I'm not going to be defined by a scoreboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/i-just-made-a-decision-a-long-time-ago-i-m-not-going-to-be-defined-by/) [Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/) > [No matter how painful your decision has been, as long as you can sleep well at night, it means you made the right choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-painful-your-decision-has-been-as-long-as-you-can-sleep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If it comes down to you or the program that decision was made long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/if-it-comes-down-to-you-or-the-program-that-decision-was-made-long-ago/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [“The challenge for most of us is that we haven’t made a decision in so long we’ve forgotten what it feels like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-robbins/the-challenge-for-most-of-us-is-that-we-haven-t-made-a-decision-in-so/) [Anthony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-robbins/) > [You make the right decision for the long run. You manage for the long run, and you continue to move to higher value. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/you-make-the-right-decision-for-the-long-run-you-manage-for-the-long/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [It just happened. As though a moment comes when it's both necessary and natural to make a decision that has long since been made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/it-just-happened-as-though-a-moment-comes-when-it-s-both-necessary/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [Nothing's a bad decision. As long as you're happy, nothing matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-s-a-bad-decision-as-long-as-you-re-happy-nothing-matters/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be natural my children. For the writer that is natural has fulfilled all the rules of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/be-natural-my-children-for-the-writer-that-is-natural-has-fulfilled/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-think-of-education-as-the-means-of-developing-our-greatest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) ## More by Connie Stevens > [Shelley was an idol of mine -- and many -- an extraordinary woman with powerful charisma, enormous talent and a keen, perceptive mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/shelley-was-an-idol-of-mine-and-many-an-extraordinary-woman-with/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [I was more secure being a mother than I was walking on a set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-was-more-secure-being-a-mother-than-i-was-walking-on-a-set/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [I was a single mom that raised two bright, beautiful, and compassionate girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-was-a-single-mom-that-raised-two-bright-beautiful-and-compassionate/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [Every decorative piece in this house is my feeling, my choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/every-decorative-piece-in-this-house-is-my-feeling-my-choice/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [Id like to be a lion... they are very family-oriented. Unfortunately. too many wild animals are afraid at what man can do to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/id-like-to-be-a-lion-they-are-very-family-oriented-unfortunately-too/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [Pet me, touch me, love me, that's what I get when I perform. That's when I'm really getting what I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/pet-me-touch-me-love-me-that-s-what-i-get-when-i-perform-that-s-when/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [She will be successful who is easy to start and hard to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/she-will-be-successful-who-is-easy-to-start-and-hard-to-stop/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [I am a New Yorker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-am-a-new-yorker/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [Once you have an animal, you have to commit to it. They need a sense of freedom, but, of course, they must have some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/once-you-have-an-animal-you-have-to-commit-to-it-they-need-a-sense-of/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [My kids are pretty secure, bright, and know who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/my-kids-are-pretty-secure-bright-and-know-who-they-are/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [I love the live performances and Las Vegas. I also like making films that are being discovered by another generation. Having been a teen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-love-the-live-performances-and-las-vegas-i-also-like-making-films/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [I am from Brooklyn, NY, so we could not have many pets, but I always had at least two dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-am-from-brooklyn-ny-so-we-could-not-have-many-pets-but-i-always-had/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [I have learned that you can communicate on a very deep level with any living form. Thats why my gardens bloom and my animals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-have-learned-that-you-can-communicate-on-a-very-deep-level-with-any/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [It's important for us to latch onto the people that we love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/it-s-important-for-us-to-latch-onto-the-people-that-we-love/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [I love being Italian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-love-being-italian/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) [Explore all 16 Connie Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) ## 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": "I made the decision a long time ago that I had an obligation to my children that I happily fulfilled.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Connie Stevens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that-i-had-an-obligation-to-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that-i-had-an-obligation-to-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/connie-stevens-31085_children_i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that_1169649.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/connie-stevens-31085_children_i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that_1169649.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/connie-stevens-31085_children_i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that_1169649.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I made the decision a long time ago that I had an obligation to my children that I happily fulfilled.” — Connie Stevens", "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": "Connie Stevens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I made the decision a long...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that-i-had-an-obligation-to-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/i-made-the-decision-a-long-time-ago-that-i-had-an-obligation-to-my/#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 } } ] } ```