--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The older I get the more I realize that a…" description: "\"The older I get the more I realize that a significant portion of a parent's happiness or sadness in middle-age will be directly impacted by how closely..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/273/gary-l-thomas-15836_children_the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-that_212381.png" --- # The older I get the more I realize that a significant… ![“The older I get the more I realize that a significant portion of a parent's happiness or sadness in middle-age will be directly impacted by how closely our children are walking with the Lord.” quote by Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/273/gary-l-thomas-15836_children_the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-that_212381.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/273/gary-l-thomas-15836_children_the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-that_212381.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/273/gary-l-thomas-15836_children_the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-that_212381.png) > “The older I get the more I realize that a significant portion of a parent's happiness or sadness in middle-age will be directly impacted by how closely our children are walking with the Lord.” [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) ## 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 emotional state in midlife is heavily influenced by their children’s spiritual walk. **In simple terms:** Parents feel happier or sadder based on kids’ faith. Key Takeaway Nurture children’s faith for family well‑being. Themes family faith parenting midlife emotions Mood reflective concerned Type advice observational When to use this quote - family gatherings - church activities - parent‑child counseling - life coaching Key Concepts spiritual development intergenerational influence emotional health Questions to Reflect On - How does your child’s faith affect your mood? - What can you do if they drift away? A Different Perspective Faith alone may not guarantee happiness; other factors matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Closely Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closely-children-1760572/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Impacted Closely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impacted-closely-2188363/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Middle age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-age/) [Older Realize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older-realize/) [Our children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-children/) [Parent Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent-happiness-2188362/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Significant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significant/) [Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking/) [Walking With The Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking-with-the-lord-226459/) ## Related quotes > [“Mind what you say, but mind more closely what you do. For though children close their ears to you, their eyes remain wide open.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/mind-what-you-say-but-mind-more-closely-what-you-do-for-though/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Always listen closely to what children have to say, because really we learn more from them each day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/always-listen-closely-to-what-children-have-to-say-because-really-we/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [A man had a dream he dreamed he was walking with the lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-had-a-dream-he-dreamed-he-was-walking-with-the-lord/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Congregational singing is a holy act, and as I organize my thoughts, I hear my old pastor, Alistair Begg, reminding me that in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-getty/congregational-singing-is-a-holy-act-and-as-i-organize-my-thoughts-i/) [Keith Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-getty/) > [Anybody who is really walking with the Lord is embracing the foibles and the beauties and the differences of humanity, regardless of race, color,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-gay-harden/anybody-who-is-really-walking-with-the-lord-is-embracing-the-foibles/) [Marcia Gay Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-gay-harden/) > [The older I get, the more I realize that you don't have to be around people you don't want to be around, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-bruno/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-that-you-don-t-have-to-be-around/) [Aaron Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-bruno/) > [As you get older you realize how important your emotional response is to any kind of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/as-you-get-older-you-realize-how-important-your-emotional-response-is/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [As you get older, you realize what qualities are really important when youre looking for a life partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-get-older-you-realize-what-qualities-are-really-important-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As you get older and you realize you really don't know as much as you think you know, you listen more. Because then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-keoghan/as-you-get-older-and-you-realize-you-really-don-t-know-as-much-as-you/) [Phil Keoghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-keoghan/) > [“The older you get, the more you realize life is about those connections you make. Once they’re gone, what do you really have?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-pierce/the-older-you-get-the-more-you-realize-life-is-about-those/) [Blake Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-pierce/) > [The older I get the more I realize how simple life is and how complicated I make it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-how-simple-life-is-and-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you are younger, you worry about what people think about you. When you are older, you realize that no one was ever thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/when-you-are-younger-you-worry-about-what-people-think-about-you-when/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [As I've gotten older, I realize how important my fans are and that I'm here because of them and not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-springfield/as-i-ve-gotten-older-i-realize-how-important-my-fans-are-and-that-i-m/) [Rick Springfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-springfield/) > [Let me close by bearing witness (and my nine decades on this earth fully qualify me to say this) that the older I get,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/let-me-close-by-bearing-witness-and-my-nine-decades-on-this-earth/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [As I get older I realize how short & sometimes difficult life is & if you are not adding to my joy I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/as-i-get-older-i-realize-how-short-sometimes-difficult-life-is-if-you/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) ## More by Gary L. Thomas > [“The mark of a spiritual man or woman is a listening heart, not a lecturing tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/the-mark-of-a-spiritual-man-or-woman-is-a-listening-heart-not-a/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“With Christ in us and the Holy Spirit transforming us, we really have no excuse for continuing immaturity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/with-christ-in-us-and-the-holy-spirit-transforming-us-we-really-have/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [Done well, marital sexuality can be a supremely healing experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/done-well-marital-sexuality-can-be-a-supremely-healing-experience/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“Contempt is conceived with expectations. Respect is conceived with expressions of gratitude. We can choose which one we will obsess over-expectations, or thanksgivings. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/contempt-is-conceived-with-expectations-respect-is-conceived-with/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [A good marriage isn't something you find; it's something you make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/a-good-marriage-isn-t-something-you-find-it-s-something-you-make/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [If you want to be free to serve Jesus, there’s no question—stay single. Marriage takes a lot of time. But if you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/if-you-want-to-be-free-to-serve-jesus-there-s-no-question-stay-single/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“One of these early thinkers, Augustine (A.D. 354–430), suggested that there are three benefits of marriage: offspring, faith (fidelity), and sacrament. Of the three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/one-of-these-early-thinkers-augustine-a-d-354-430-suggested-that/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“Righteousness—true holiness—is seen over time in our persistence. It is relatively easy to “flirt” with righteousness—being occasionally courteous to other drivers (if you happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/righteousness-true-holiness-is-seen-over-time-in-our-persistence-it/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“This is a book that looks at how we can use the challenges, joys, struggles, and celebrations of marriage to draw closer to God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/this-is-a-book-that-looks-at-how-we-can-use-the-challenges-joys/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“He planted marriage among humans as yet another signpost pointing to his own eternal, spiritual existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/he-planted-marriage-among-humans-as-yet-another-signpost-pointing-to/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [It's astonishing how quickly cultural references change. Each new generation of parents grows up with a new slate of cultural understanding, television shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/it-s-astonishing-how-quickly-cultural-references-change-each-new/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“In this chapter, we’re going to explore how these various analogies use the experience of marriage to teach us valuable truths about the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/in-this-chapter-we-re-going-to-explore-how-these-various-analogies/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [What if your husband’s faults are God’s tools to shape you? What if the very thing that most bugs you about your man constitutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/what-if-your-husband-s-faults-are-god-s-tools-to-shape-you-what-if/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of marriage must be built on the foundation of mature love rather than romanticism. But this immediately casts us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of-marriage-must-be-built-on/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“The church must not teach the submission of wives apart from the sacrificial love and servanthood required of husbands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/the-church-must-not-teach-the-submission-of-wives-apart-from-the/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) [Explore all 41 Gary L. Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) ## 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. 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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? 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