--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never understand it when parents talk…" description: "\"“I never understand it when parents talk about sending their kids to school to “socialize” them. Children aren’t people. They’re barely even animals. T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/elizabeth-little-42013_children_i-never-understand-it-when-parents-talk_1296593.jpg" --- # I never understand it when parents talk about sending… ![“I never understand it when parents talk about sending their kids to school to “socialize” them. Children aren’t people. They’re barely even animals. They’re just suppurating wounds of emotion inflamed by too much positive reinforcement. You can’t be socialized by the unsocializable. That’s like…” quote by Elizabeth Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/elizabeth-little-42013_children_i-never-understand-it-when-parents-talk_1296593.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/elizabeth-little-42013_children_i-never-understand-it-when-parents-talk_1296593.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/elizabeth-little-42013_children_i-never-understand-it-when-parents-talk_1296593.jpg) > ““I never understand it when parents talk about sending their kids to school to “socialize” them. Children aren’t people. They’re barely even animals. They’re just suppurating wounds of emotion inflamed by too much positive reinforcement. You can’t be socialized by the unsocializable. That’s like asking King Kong to teach tap dance.”” [Elizabeth Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-little/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques the idea of socializing children, arguing they lack the capacity for true social interaction and are overly influenced by positive reinforcement. **In simple terms:** Children cannot be truly socialized as they lack social capacity. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of socialization in early development. Themes education psychology parenting socialization development Mood skeptical critical ironic Type satirical commentary philosophical When to use this quote - parent‑teacher meetings - early childhood programs - family counseling - policy debates Key Concepts behaviorism reinforcement human nature Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance reinforcement with autonomy? - What alternative methods support healthy emotional growth? A Different Perspective Socialization may develop later with appropriate guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [King kong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king-kong/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-talk-1127712/) [Positive reinforcement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-reinforcement/) [Reinforcement Socialized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reinforcement-socialized-4243021/) [School Socialize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-socialize-4243020/) [Socialize Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialize-children-1077257/) [Socialized Unsocializable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialized-unsocializable-4243019/) [Tap dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tap-dance/) ## Related quotes > [Emotional 'literacy' implies an expanded responsibility for schools in helping to socialize children. This daunting task requires two major changes: that teachers go beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/emotional-literacy-implies-an-expanded-responsibility-for-schools-in/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Clearly this is a tough economic time, and a lot of families are hurting. So when we talk to parents, we talk about small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/clearly-this-is-a-tough-economic-time-and-a-lot-of-families-are/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [Mom would talk about Eric Sevareid and Murrow and Howard K. Smith the way other parents talk about sports figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickerson/mom-would-talk-about-eric-sevareid-and-murrow-and-howard-k-smith-the/) [John Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickerson/) > [As a child, I probably knew phrases that other children didn't known, like "pitocin drip" or "myocardial infarction." Some kind of knowledge was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/as-a-child-i-probably-knew-phrases-that-other-children-didn-t-known/) [M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/) > [For example, parents who talk a lot to their children have kids with better language skills, parents who spank have children who grow up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/for-example-parents-who-talk-a-lot-to-their-children-have-kids-with/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If you want to understand your parents more, get them to talk about their own childhood; and if you listen with compassion, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-understand-your-parents-more-get-them-to-talk-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/parents-often-talk-about-the-younger-generation-as-if-they-didn-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Parents Can Talk You To Death ! (.\_.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal/parents-can-talk-you-to-death/) [Krystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal/) > [“i hated how my parents would talk about me like i wasnt watching.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/i-hated-how-my-parents-would-talk-about-me-like-i-wasnt-watching/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [I totally believe parents should talk to their kids about drugs. I totally believe that educating them in every way is really important. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-totally-believe-parents-should-talk-to-their-kids-about-drugs-i/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [“The more parents talk to their children, even in the earliest moments of life, the better their kids’ linguistic abilities become”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-medina/the-more-parents-talk-to-their-children-even-in-the-earliest-moments/) [John Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-medina/) > [“In a study in 1995, Betty Hart and Todd Risley of the University of Kansas found that children in professional families heard on average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-study-in-1995-betty-hart-and-todd-risley-of-the-university-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most parents would not hesitate to assume responsibility for their child's behavior on a playground, at school, or in someone else's home. What happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/most-parents-would-not-hesitate-to-assume-responsibility-for-their/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [It's tough for parents to talk to children about heavy-weight topics such as peer pressure, drugs and morality if they don't already have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/it-s-tough-for-parents-to-talk-to-children-about-heavy-weight-topics/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [Hearing Your Parents Talk About You On The Phone And You're Like Ummm , Bitch That Ain't What Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hearing-your-parents-talk-about-you-on-the-phone-and-you-re-like-ummm/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Elizabeth Little > [“And I’d be damned if I let the first photograph of me in ten years be taken on fucking Amtrak. I mean, the light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-little/and-i-d-be-damned-if-i-let-the-first-photograph-of-me-in-ten-years-be/) [Elizabeth Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-little/) > [“Understand that this is how it works with people like me. Self-pity is the sun around which we orbit, the great gravitational force that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-little/understand-that-this-is-how-it-works-with-people-like-me-self-pity-is/) [Elizabeth Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-little/) > [“when my hand fell from his shoulder it landed on his thigh and exerted just the slightest hint of pressure with my blunt, bitten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-little/when-my-hand-fell-from-his-shoulder-it-landed-on-his-thigh-and/) [Elizabeth Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-little/) > [“The house stank of liquored-up Kool-Aid and delusions of invincibility. 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He was lying on his back, licking his paws. If only men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-little/i-turned-at-a-noise-from-the-hallway-but-it-was-just-bones-he-was/) [Elizabeth Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-little/) [Explore all 10 Elizabeth Little quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-little/) ## 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. 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