---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Parents always have their own ideas about…"
description: "\"Parents always have their own ideas about how they wish their children to be brought up, both morally and spiritually. But they must understand that th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/graham-masterton-36342_child_parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-abou_333954.jpg"
---

#  Parents always have their own ideas about how they wish…

![“Parents always have their own ideas about how they wish their children to be brought up, both morally and spiritually. But they must understand that their children are not their property; that their children are entitled to pursue happiness in any way they wish.” quote by Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/graham-masterton-36342_child_parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-abou_333954.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/graham-masterton-36342_child_parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-abou_333954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/graham-masterton-36342_child_parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-abou_333954.jpg)

> “Parents always have their own ideas about how they wish their children to be brought up, both morally and spiritually. But they must understand that their children are not their property; that their children are entitled to pursue happiness in any way they wish.”

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Parents should recognize children’s autonomy and support their pursuit of happiness rather than imposing their own moral agenda.

**In simple terms:** Children deserve freedom to seek happiness.

Key Takeaway

Respect children’s independence.

Themes

parenting autonomy happiness rights

Mood

thoughtful concerned

Type

advice reflective

When to use this quote

- family dynamics
- education
- counseling
- child development

Key Concepts

individual rights moral philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can parents balance guidance with respect for independence?
- What limits should be set on parental influence?

A Different Perspective

Children still need guidance and boundaries despite autonomy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/)

## Related quotes

> [Several of my books are 'How to' guides, specifically about getting outdoors, giving kids and parents ideas for what to do in the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-backshall/several-of-my-books-are-how-to-guides-specifically-about-getting/)

[Steve Backshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-backshall/)

> [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/)

> [Children are entitled to life. We conceive them and so we owe them our care and our protection. This may not be a dictate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/children-are-entitled-to-life-we-conceive-them-and-so-we-owe-them-our/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [My children were brought up with their grandparents, and I was brought up with my grandparents. I think the continuity of moving through life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-annis/my-children-were-brought-up-with-their-grandparents-and-i-was-brought/)

[Francesca Annis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-annis/)

> [Who is going to be the first to face up to the need for self-restraint in the number of children brought into the world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/who-is-going-to-be-the-first-to-face-up-to-the-need-for-self/)

[Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/)

> [My three children have brought me great joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/my-three-children-have-brought-me-great-joy/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [Every one of our children will be brought into the ark, if we pray and work earnestly for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/every-one-of-our-children-will-be-brought-into-the-ark-if-we-pray-and/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [I made a baby blanket for both of my children and brought them home from the hospital in them, and they will always have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-white/i-made-a-baby-blanket-for-both-of-my-children-and-brought-them-home/)

[Vanna White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-white/)

> [Depend upon it, as long as the church is living so much like the world, we cannot expect our children to be brought into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/depend-upon-it-as-long-as-the-church-is-living-so-much-like-the-world/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [All I care about are my children and that they are brought up properly and that they don't try to play their dad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-glanville/all-i-care-about-are-my-children-and-that-they-are-brought-up/)

[Brandi Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-glanville/)

> [Our children were mostly brought up and educated in the Churchill suburb east of Pittsburgh. Each summer, we took them back to England for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/our-children-were-mostly-brought-up-and-educated-in-the-churchill/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [“Mistakes are part of life. And yet, for some reason, most parents in this world, wish their children made no mistakes at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/mistakes-are-part-of-life-and-yet-for-some-reason-most-parents-in/)

[Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/)

> [My greatest wish for my children is that they fulfill their purpose. I know that all children - and, in particular, mine - are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-elise-goldsberry/my-greatest-wish-for-my-children-is-that-they-fulfill-their-purpose-i/)

[Renee Elise Goldsberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-elise-goldsberry/)

> [I fear the future I wish for my children is at risk, so I'm taking action. Please join me...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-fear-the-future-i-wish-for-my-children-is-at-risk-so-i-m-taking/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

> [I wish children could grow according to their natural pace: sleep when sleepy, wake up when rested, eat when hungry, cry when upset, play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magda-gerber/i-wish-children-could-grow-according-to-their-natural-pace-sleep-when/)

[Magda Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magda-gerber/)

## More by Graham Masterton

> [“Heacox had disobeyed the first two laws of safety and survival: Do not touch unless you have to, and then do not touch until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/heacox-had-disobeyed-the-first-two-laws-of-safety-and-survival-do-not/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

> [“Why does the life everlasting have to be won at such terrible cost? If the life everlasting is true, why can it be achieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/why-does-the-life-everlasting-have-to-be-won-at-such-terrible-cost-if/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

> [“I hereby solemnly and sincerely declare before God that I will faithfully discharge the duties of a member of An Garda Síochána with fairness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/i-hereby-solemnly-and-sincerely-declare-before-god-that-i-will/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

> [ “\[...\] she hadn't realised how much she missed the company of women who laughed, women who spoke their own minds, women who didn't give… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/she-hadn-t-realised-how-much-she-missed-the-company-of-women-who/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

> [Somewhere, all the people we have loved and lost are still among us, in the house that we call history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/somewhere-all-the-people-we-have-loved-and-lost-are-still-among-us-in/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

> [“Because this woman sobbed in the way that all women sob, whether they do it outwardly or whether they keep it silently locked up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/because-this-woman-sobbed-in-the-way-that-all-women-sob-whether-they/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

> [Just because you can't see them and you can't hear them, that doesn't mean they're not here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/just-because-you-can-t-see-them-and-you-can-t-hear-them-that-doesn-t/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

> [“The way to avoid the tragedies of the past is not to let them happen to begin with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/the-way-to-avoid-the-tragedies-of-the-past-is-not-to-let-them-happen/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

> [Mistress of the grisly and the glutinous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/mistress-of-the-grisly-and-the-glutinous/)

[Graham Masterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

[Explore all 10 Graham Masterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/)

## More Child quotes

> [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/)

> [“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 parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/)

[Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/)

> [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/)

[LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [I'm a weirdo and an only child. That comes together to create one-woman shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/i-m-a-weirdo-and-an-only-child-that-comes-together-to-create-one/)

[Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/)

[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/)

> [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/)

[Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/)

> [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/)

[Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/)

> [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/)

[Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/)

[Browse all 10,700 Child quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Parents always have their own ideas about how they wish their children to be brought up, both morally and spiritually. But they must understand that their children are not their property; that their children are entitled to pursue happiness in any way they wish.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Graham Masterton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-about-how-they-wish-their/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Child"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-about-how-they-wish-their/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/graham-masterton-36342_child_parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-abou_333954.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/graham-masterton-36342_child_parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-abou_333954.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/graham-masterton-36342_child_parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-abou_333954.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Parents always have their own ideas about how they wish their children to be brought up, both morally and…” — Graham Masterton",
                "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": "Graham Masterton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-masterton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Parents always have their own ideas...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-about-how-they-wish-their/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-masterton/parents-always-have-their-own-ideas-about-how-they-wish-their/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
